"And Nothing to Get Hung About" - the Trailing Spouse Experiences Beatlemania in Liverpool

Strawberry Field was a children's home that was just behind John Lennon's boyhood half of a double block home. He used to love to play in the woods behind the home although Aunt Mimi - the woman who raised him - constantly admonished him to stay away from there. It all started here.

Click on the title above for 50 pictures.

John's mother Julia was not very responsible. When John's father set out to sea - Julie asked her sister Mary to care for John. Mimi had a very nice small home in a neighborhood of upward professionals. Mimi kept the home after her husband's death by taking in boarding students. The house had 3 bedrooms - but Mimi managed to board 4-5 students. Regardless - John had an inspirational childhood - and throughout his life he wrote songs about the good feelings for his lost boyhood.

Lulu has 4 day weekends in her teaching job here in London. If there is one person on this earth that loves travel more than me - it is Lulu. My Mom always said that Everharts have "gypsy blood" in them. Lulu is the biggest Everhart of all. So last weekend she wore me out in Liverpool. And this weekend it is Cannes - Monaco - and Nice.

Liverpool was a hop - step - and jump from our flat. The Euston Train Station is just up the street - so on Saturday we drug our bag of stuff to catch the 8 AM train. 3 hours later we were in our 3-day Liverpool home. We lived on the docks of Liverpool in a 4-star hotel that Lulu got on priceline.com.

The main reason for our trip was to re-visit our youth by taking a pilgrimage to Liverpool. Lulu had the flu - but that was not going to stop her. She already had paid for the train - the hotel - and the "Beatles Tour." They were non-refundable.

A little bit about Liverpool proper. At one time - it was an industrial city and the busiest seaport in the British Empire. 2 million emigrants set out for America from her docks. It was also the capital of the slave trade until Great Britain banned slavery a long time before the USA.

In the old days - every house had about 6 fireplaces - and they burned bituminous coal. You might know that this fuel burns with a very dirty flame causing lots of soot and smoke. Brits were using the term smog - smoke and fog - a long time before it became Los Angeles's trademark. The city was filthy and when the Industrial Revoluton ended - it turned into a dirty slum-laden metropolis.

In the 1950s and 1960s - when the Beatles became famous - the second British Invasion of America started here.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney met here in 1957. They were smitten with skiffle music - a blend of folk and light rock and roll. Liverpool was overrun with music groups that bought guitars - learned 3 chords. Every waking hour was spent writing songs and finding places to perform them. There were over 700 skiffle groups in Liverpool alone. Lennon formed the Beatles and developed a career playing at The Cavern - a wine cellar in the rundown warehouse district. Just like the American kids - they enjoyed listening to Elvis - Chuck Berry - and Buddy Holly.

The original Cavern Club was filled in as part of a subway rail project - but a new one was developed right next to the old site. Lulu and I ascended the 4 flights of steps into the old wine cellar. By my calculations - we were easily below sea level. There was a tribute band playing a set of some of the old hits. No one was collecting money - but there was quite a few having drinks. Most of the folks were just curious middle-agers like me holding up their video cameras. I will post some video later.

From 1957 to 1962 - they became a phenomena - Beatlemania. Before America even discovered them - the Beatles had 5 years of relative success in the UK. Then they arrived in New York City in 1963 - and the rest was history. No music group has ever had a bigger influence on music - clothing - hair styles - or pop culture.

They stayed together as a group for 6 more years and then went their separate ways. Due to marketing in the music industry - they were virtually here and gone in seconds. Their record companies marketed their songs for many years before we realized it was all over. There were always rumors that they would get back together - one of the hopes that somehow steered my new Volkswagen to Woodstock. But alas - it never happened. The door was dramatically slammed shut when a nut shot and killed John Lennon - the leader of the group in 1980.

Visiting Liverpool - gives one a haunting feeling. From all the news coverage of our youth - you get a feeling of deja vu. A visit to John's and Paul's boyhood home brings a finality or closure to this event that powered my youth.

Kids can play rock and roll better now - better instruments - more equipment - and the genre has expanded from audio to visual - but The Beatles did it first. They were such vanguards that at one time they owned 9 of the "top 10" spots of the music charts.

One can tour the homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. You can feel the forces that urged these kids on to write and play so much wonderful music. This was probably the highlight of our trip. Visit this page -

http://picasaweb.google.com/HarryEverhart/Liverpool

-for pictures from those tours.

On Sunday we took a Ferry ride on the famous boat from that song - "Ferry Cross the Mersey." You get a feel for the lives - both past and present - of the working middle class people that inspired Lennon and McCartney. People were very friendly - they loved talking to us - and truly admired America. It was kind of hard for a lad whose hearing was altered as my mom said, "By playing that rock and roll music way too loud." But even with perfect hearing - Lulu assured me she couldn't understand most of what they were saying. Americans and Brits are truly separated by a common language.

I realize this story is all over the place - but I am lying here in bed with "Lulu's flu." I am trying to capture the feelings before I forget them - which happens more and more as I get older.

But there's more - just like the final crescendo in "A Day in the Life" - it was time for "The Beatles Story" - a museum exhibit on Albert Pier. After so much walking and the overkill of information - I was not sure that I wanted to pay 12 pounds 50 pence for another museum - after all of the others were free. With a senior citizen discount for me - and a student discount for Lulu - we got it down to 8 pounds 50 pence - or $17 each. It was without a doubt the best spent money on our trip. It took almost 3 hours to view all of the exhibits in this museum.

Near the end of the museum tour - there is a place called John Lennon's white room. I will not even try to describe my feelings as that white grand piano plays, "Imagine." While it played - I read the light gray words to the song on an otherwise bleached while set. One can feel the emotions and youth drain out of your body. It was like mourning - realizing that many of those exciting feeling of your youth have been stolen from you - maybe by a culture that did not experience the 60s - but had two sets of the 50s and went right on to the 70s. You think of the kids that died for nothing in Vietnam - and not were killing a bunch of them in Iraq.

When John used to run off from Aunt Mimi to Strawberry Field - notice no "S" - she would admonish him and warned him that danger out there in the world could hurt him. He would reply to Mimi, "Do they hang you for it?" She said no. That's all he needed to know.

John Lennon and Beatles have enriched our lives immensely. They taught us to follow our dreams."

"And Nothing to Get Hung About...
...Strawberry Fields Forever."

Trailing Spouse Takes Morning Train to Liverpool

Lulu and I are sitting in our train on the way to Liverpool. It will be 3 hours on a very full train. We have reserved seats but there are plenty of people standing in the aisles. It is the only train today from London to Liverpool and it seems a lot of people want top spend a weekend in the 2008 Europian City of Culture.

It is raining very hard and the sky is completely obscured – I hope the weather is better when we get there. Lulu did a great job planning the trip. Our tickets were 100 pounds for 2 round trips. Some of the standing people are happy to be on the train and they paid 70 pounds one way. I will never understand the logic of plane and train ticket pricing.

We are staying at a 4 star Crowne Plaza Hotel right on the docks in Liverpool. Lulu got it on priceline.com. The hotel prices were very steep there – she got this one 80 pounds a night.

I have the GPS stuck to the train window – but have not gotten a lock yet. I am getting a 2 bar signal – you need 3 to navigate. Maybe if the sky clears a little – it will work.

While in Liverpool – we plan to take the Beatles tour. Supposedly you can go into some of their boyhood homes. During the 60s – Liverpool seemed to be the capital of the rock and roll music world. Tons of Beatle copy groups learned 3 chords and filled the void left by people wanting black American rhythm and blue sung in a British accent.

Lulu got the flu on Thursday. We spent the entire 4th of July in our flat hoping to get her strong enough for this weekend. We had paid for the train and hotel in advance and there were no refunds. We are lucky that our apartment is about ¼ mile from the Euston Station. We took a cab to the station – we didn’t walk ‘s again to save Lulu’s energy. She says she is fine and seems contented reading her Daily Mirror gossip tabloid.

The sky is clearing a bit and the GPS locked onto the satellites. We are halfway between London and Birmingham approaching Northampton.

Packing for this trip reminds me of George Carlin’s comedy routine – a place for my stuff. He talked about how when we travel we always like to carry a certain amount of stuff with us. We left Florida with 8 bags of stuff. When we got to the London flat we spent a day finding places for our stuff. Now that we are going to Liverpool for a weekend – we had to pack 2 bags to take the stuff we need for the 3 days. Once we got on the train – we opened our “train” bag for the computer – GPS – newspaper – and snacks.

TWO HOUR PAUSE

We arrived in Liverpool early. The sky is partly cloudy with a few sprinkles.

We walked to our hotel on the docks – it is very nice. We went to our room – and it has free internet. So I can send this.
We have 3 days to tour Liverpool.

The Trailing Spouse Was There The Day The Music Died

Lulu asked me what show I would like to see. It took me all of 2 seconds to say "Buddy Holly."

I was 10 years old - and forced to wear these giant black glasses by my parents. As much as my doctor said that I would never get eyesight in my left eye - my Mom insisted I wear those big goggles to protect my "good eye." Rock and roll has just made the scene and all the cool looking rockers were sans spectacles - all of them except Buddy Holly.

Before I was even old enough to know better - Buddy Holly died in a plane wreck. Everyone was so enamored with Elvis - that they forgot about this young man from Lubbock, Texas that wrote 20 hits by the time he was 22 years old - and then he was gone.

Rock and Roll crossed over into sweet middle of the road love tunes until 4 years later the kids from England started playing Buddy's music back to us. The Beatles - Rolling Stones - and many others "covered" Buddy's tunes. Beatle Paul McCartney loved the music so much he bought the rights to all of Buddy's songs.

Show tickets were 55 pounds - but Lulu went online and found a bargain for a total of 50 pounds for two tickets and two pre-show dinners. I thought - heck - if they just gave us a bowl of cereal - we would be ahead.

So just like in the movies - we got dressed up the best we could - caught the Tube to the theatre district - and went to the restaurant. There was a light London rain - but we only had to walk maybe 100 feet from the station to Maxwell's American Restaurant. Maxwell's is making a living offering early suppers to budget-minded theatre goers. The place was really big - with tons of speedy waitresses going up and down the open stairs to the kitchen. After picking one from column A and one from column B and some pre-show drinks - we were off to the Duchess Theatre.

Once inside - the manager gave us some very nice tickets. After telling him I was a bit hard of hearing - he said this was the theatre and show for me. But he did give us two even better tickets - downstairs - row 7 center stage. We were all set - and the theatre slowly filled its 900 seats around us. At 5 minutes to show time - there was a rush and every seat was filled - mostly groups of women - and a few old rockers in their 60s.

The show started out in Texas with Buddy playing country music at some barn dance. It then progressed to a recording studio in New Mexico - then two a major record label office in New York City - a set of songs at the Apollo Theatre in the Bronx - and finally his last day on earth in Clear Lake, Iowa.

I'll bet every person in Iowa claims to have been at the "Winter Dance Party." This show tried to produce that show as authentically as they could.

The cast of roughly 15 young actors - many fresh out of acting school - nailed the innocence of the 50s - and the hard driving sound of Buddy's music. Buddy's shooting star career was short - 18 months from first hit to last. He was such a prolific writer - for the next 10 years his record company released fresh songs he had written. One admires an original thought and the dreamer that believes in it and stands up for it - the little guy with a dream against the system. Buddy's little 3 member band - had a fresh - simple minimalist sound that few can create.

The show was a comedy - but in the end it was hard to hold the emotions in when that lone guitar sat on the stage next to the microphone. Several encore songs were needed to uplift the show near the end.

The show reminded me of the last time I went to visit my Aunt Grace. She was my Dad's younger sister - during the summers I spent many "vacations" at her home. Their family was close because they had to fend through the depression when their Dad left. Grace had a stroke and a bit of Dementia - she was very forgetful - something that I seem to have inherited. When I walked into her country home in Ashfield - she screamed in joy with tears in her eyes, "I know your not him, but your good enough!" Then she hugged me real big. For that moment I was back in 1959 with my big black "Buddy Holly" glasses on. I felt really good.

As we quietly left the Duchess Theatre and walked back to our flat - Lulu asked me how I liked it. I said, "I know that was not Buddy, but it was good enough!"

Penn State Pretzels in London

As we travel - it seems to be getting harder and harder to find good pretzels. More and more people are buying chips that can be dipped in salsa. Hopefully when we get to Germany - there will be a better pretzel selection.

We did find something that gave us a chuckle and a taste of home from back in the hills of Pennsylvania. They are called, "Penn State Original Sea Salted Pretzels." I am sure they have never gotten near Pennsylvania - but at least the name was funny. They do eat a lot of Pretzels in Pennsylvania - there is a large German heritage in South and Eastern Keystoneland. Philadelphia is famous for soft street pretzels.

The Penn State pretzels taste great - but the neatest part is their marketing. If you go to their web site - www.pennstate.co.uk - the fun begins. On the web site - you can meet Penn State employees - go to their facebook pages - and talk to them. There are even neat little pretzel computer games. In one game you are a bartender and your job is to keep the customers pretzel bowls full. A custom in some Pennsylvania bars is to serve free pretzels. Pretzels being salty make you drink more beer.

This is probably the future way to market products. Not only is their a strong internet presence - you have a feeling of being part of the company action. You develop brand loyalty. I love the motto, "Baked with an Authentic American Recipe." To be really authentic they should include a pair of Joe Paterno "coke bottle" glasses in each bag.

Toyota Takes Over the USA

For the first time in USA history - a foreign car maker has taken over the top sales position in the USA. That takeover takes place today - July 1.

Honda is the only auto dealer to post an increase in sales in June.

Trailing Spouse Drank His Way to a Battery Charger

Lulu loves to shop. She does not buy a lot of stuff - but she just loves to shop and compare. The only comparing I do is the prices to what stuff costs back in Tallahassee. Last time we were here - it took $1.30 to get 1 pound. Prices were then relatively the same in the USA and UK. Due to the poor state of the US economy because of actions taken by our leaders - it now takes $2.00 to get 1 pound.

When Lulu shops here she says things like, "It only cost 2 pounds." Like clockwork my response is, "That is $4.00 dollars - our real money." I hate to be such a cheapskate - but being raised on coal miner's and teacher's pay - I like to know the price of everything up front. If a store does not mark its prices - I am out the door. I hate someone sizing me up - and trying to figure how much they can squeeze out of me.

Yesterday - I discovered that I left the battery charger for my camera at home in Tallahassee. Since one of my main reasons to be over here is to take pictures - I needed a battery charger for my camera's special battery. What further compounds my problem is that over here things are made to operate 220 volts and back home they are 110 volts. So off I went shopping at 5 PM Monday. I went to several camera shops - and to my surprise most of them had battery chargers I could use. The price was the killer. Back in Tallahassee - a charger was $30. Here I was getting prices that exceeded $100.

Finally - I found a store that had one for $60 - so I swallowed hard and opened the wallet. My 10 pound notes looked like play money. I handed the guy 3 of them. Instead of thinking $60 - I justified 30 pounds. The notes felt like 30 pounds as I lifted them from my wallet.

To my luck - this charger worked on both 110 volts and 220 volts. It also would operate in a car from a 12 volt outlet - I rationalized that this justified the price.

Just an hour later - 6 PM - we were going to a faculty party at a pub. There would be free drinks and food there - and at least I would not have to buy supper - thinking back to the 30 pounds I spent on the battery charger.

It was a great party - there were several bottles of wine and everyone was drinking freely since no one had to drive home. It would have been a long 5000 mile drive across the Atlantic to Florida. On the wall - I saw a sign with a label that matched the label of the wine we were drinking. The sign said 8 pounds a glass. That is $16.00 to us bean counters. Within 1 hour of purchasing the $60.00 battery charger - I could make it up with 4 glasses of wine at 8 pounds or $16 each - a total of $64.00.

I am not a big drinker - in fact I seldom drink - usually just to be social because there are just a few sugary drinks that taste good to me. But this time I was on a mission.

4 glasses of wine made the party even better. The calculator in my head kept score. Lulu and I were both a little tipsy on the way home. But somehow the trailing spouse felt better now - knowing that the battery charger didn't cost him a thing.

Picture - This is the Buckingham Palace - one of the queens many homes. The queen personally made over $30 million last year. No wonder things cost so much here.

Bottle Water Fraud

From the Washington Post -

The push to turn water into the new wine is a marketing phenomenon:
The bottled-water industry is engaged in an intense effort to convince
Americans that the stuff in bottles is substantially different from
the stuff out of the tap.

But empirical tests have repeatedly shown that they are generally the
same. In blind taste tests, many people who swear they can
differentiate between bottled-water brands and tap water fail to spot
the differences, and studies have shown that both are fine to drink,
and both occasionally can have quality problems.
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Experts who study bottled water as a cultural phenomenon say
differences between the two are largely marketing inventions.

"Taste for water is as much an effort of imagination as it is an
objective fact," said Richard Wilk, a professor of anthropology and
gender studies at Indiana University who studies the phenomenon. "The
labels have springs and waterfalls and mountains. The latest waters
are from Antarctica and Iceland; there is glacier water and iceberg
water and water that is a million years old and water from 3,000 feet
down off Hawaii. All of these things promise an untouched nature far
from human beings."

There is abundant irony in such marketing: The supply of clean
drinking water across America and in many other countries is an
underappreciated scientific and technological achievement that in many
ways rivals putting a man on the moon. Trillions of dollars have been
spent to get clean drinking water to people at virtually no cost --
and it is people in precisely these countries who seem willing to pay
premiums of 1,000 percent to 10,000 percent for bottled water.

FSU's Walter Dix Earns Spot in Olympics

By Steve Ellis
TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

EUGENE, Ore. — Tyson Gay, the fastest American ever, exhaled before
settling into the starting blocks. Next to him, in lane three, Walter
Dix was already a study of concentration and — as everyone would soon
find out — confidence.

Embattled by injury concerns and technically unsound starts, the eight-
time NCAA champion for Florida State wasn't even supposed to be here.
The 200 meters, run Friday, was supposed to be Dix's opportunity to
become an Olympian.

Dix had other ideas. Just before the starter's gun went off, he told
himself:

"I'm here. I'm ready. Let's win."

For Dix, the here was the 100 meter finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials
on a warm Sunday afternoon at hallowed Hayward Field. Decked in his
alma mater's garnet and gold, Dix needed two months and an NCAA team
championship to distance himself from a mid-April night in Tallahassee
where a hamstring injury suustained in the Seminole Invitational had
planted doubts about his Olympic future.

Dix completed the journey in a blazing but wind-aided 9.8 seconds to
claim second place in the 100 meters. His reward for enduring a
difficult season was a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and an embrace
from Gay at race end. From there Dix dashed toward the stands crammed
with more than 20,000 fans. A quick Seminole chop and then onto the
podium. "It felt real good to be out there — the only collegian out
there and representing Florida State," Dix said, who held off at
Darvis Patton at the line and finished behind Gay's 9.68 — the world's
fastest time, but a mark that won't be a record due to a wind at his
back that measured at 4.1 meters per second.

"Walter Dix is a tough competitor," Gay would later say of Dix during
the post-race media conference. "He's proved a lot and reminds me of
myself a lot. He stayed in the (Florida State) uniform and just
focused on what he needed to do and got it accomplished."

Dix will represent the red, white and blue of the USA in Beijing, and
maybe in three events — the 100 and 200 meters and 4x100 relay. But on
Sunday, he was spectacular in garnet and gold. And proud of it.

"We're already three national champions deep," Dix said. "I don't know
if you can say anything else."

But FSU athletics and Seminole fans can. One of their own is a U.S.
Olympian — the first time for a male FSU track and field athlete since
Arthur Blake participated in the 1992 and '88 Olympics. Kim Batten
participated in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000.

Dix may not be the only FSU graduate to make the U.S. team. Lacy
Janson is one of the favorites in the pole vault that begins Thursday.
Long jumper Joe Allen finished seventh in his event, but will not earn
a spot on the Olympic team.

"It's great for the university and the community," said former FSU
track coach Terry Long, who has worked with Dix this season. "It's a
tribute to all the Florida State coaches.

"And this certainly exemplifies the unique nature of Walter Dix. He
stayed and got his education, finished his Florida State career pretty
emphatically with his eighth individual title and third team title."

Trailing Spouse Sees Rosetta Stone and Police in Same Hour

Sunday afternoon at 5 PM - Lulu decided to take a little nap. So I strolled down the street to browse through the British Museum. I sleep literally 1000 feet or so from the Rosetta Stone - pieces of the Greek Parthenon - and a statue of Venus from 200 AD. The door is wide open and there are no guards to frisk you - you just saunter into history.

After about 45 minutes - I return home for supper. Lulu proceeds to tell me we are going to go to a concert in Hyde Park. Lulu has only about 2 or 3 CD's in her car - and one of them is Sting and The Police. Sometimes he is just Sting and sometimes he is The Police - I am not sure who decides which one he is - but he can really write and sing rock and roll.

We quickly eat and get on the bus to Hyde Park. I am a bit apprehensive because tickets for the event are 65 pounds - or $130 each. I had no intention of dropping $260 of Lulu's hard earned cash. We got to the park and lots of people were milling around. 35,000 people were inside the fence - but through some pretty poor engineering - one could watch the concert from the low crowd fence. So for over an hour we waited on the grass "along the rail." When the concert started - to our surprise - we could see the big screens and hear the music clearly. Lulu was very happy because she got to watch and listen to 2 hours of Sting and Harry was contented to keep his wallet (and the moths) safely tucked in his front pocket.

Here is a picture of the stage from our view - a news report from Lulu at the concert - and photos of Venus and the Rosetta Stone.

How much culture can a trailing spouse stand in one Sunday afternoon in London? Too bad it wasn't the Rolling Stones at the park - I could have called this story - The Rolling Rosetta Stones.

Lulu and The Trailing Spouse See "The Lion King"

Lulu loves to go to the theatre and last night it was the Lyceum in London for "The Lion King."

"The Lion King" is one of my favorite stories - and I may be one of the few folks that like the movie better than the Broadway or the London productions. While Lulu was marveling over the costumes and dance routines - I never could "get" the dancing grass. I guess I am a guy that does not "get" nuance - you have to hit me over the head even with the word subtle.

Having just turned 60 - and holding my grandson Jack less than a week ago for the first time - tears come to my eyes with I see Musafo holding up Simba on Pride Rock. The Lion King is based on a song - "Circle of Life." Like someone once said, "there are no new stories - just different names doing the same thing." This week I was doing my best Musafo impression with Jack on Pride Rock. - 30 years ago my Dad held up Drew - now Drew is the 30 year old father - and I am the grandpa. There is a certain sadness in the Circle of Life. A few years later - my Dad was gone. Also as men get older - they have more estrogen in their bodies :-)

It was nice walking along the Strand in London seeing everyone dressed up and going to the shows. It was also nice not having a bunch of ghetto blasters blaring away from park benches or passing automobiles - and we did not see a soul with his jeans down to his knees and his cleavage showing. In my opinion - London is a more civilized New York City. One feels very comfortable roaming around at midnight although I still keep my wallet in my front pocket.

After the show - we went to a pub called "The Coal Hole." England was built on a culture of coal miners - the industrial revolution made Britain a world leader for over 100 years. It felt like being back in the hills of Pennsylvania where there used to be a pub on every corner in town.

The FSU Study Center provided tickets for all the students. It was full house at the theatre - and The Trailing Spouse went along to carry Lulu's tickets.



Pictures - Lyceum theatre - Lion King tickets - Simba on Pride Rock - Sarabi, Mufasa, Simba, Lion King - Visiting the Coal Hole.

FSU Study Center in London

When Lulu was hired by Florida State 4 years ago - we visited the FSU Study Center in London. From that day on Lulu wanted to teach a course at the Center. With a lot of hard work and planning - she finally got her wish. Her first class is Tuesday.

The Center is on Great Russell Street just down the block from the British Museum. One can roll out of bed and stroll down the street to look at the Rosetta Stone in minutes.

Without too much history - Florida State University bought the Center a long time ago. Sandy D'Alembert - former FSU president and current professor at the Center - said he enjoyed the FSU Center when he was a student back in 1958. Florida State owns the center but does allow other schools like Penn State - Georgia - and Southern California to send students here to study.

Students can attend a 6 week summer course or a full fall or spring semester. During the Holiday season - faculty often fly over to vacation in the Center.

Prices in London compare to prices in New York City or Washington DC. Grocery prices are in pounds (two dollar = one pound). Lulu enjoys shopping at the ASDA - the British Walmart's. Prices are reasonable - we bought a toaster for $12 although one could be purchases one for $6. We had to take the subway quite a distance to get to the closest ASDA store. Lulu took a group of her students shopping there today.

A neat feature in the store are the 4 wheel drive shopping carts. All 4 wheels pivot for easier navigation. When someone is in your way - you just push sideways and you are around them quickly.

In the store picture Lulu is holding a miniature can of Coke. The other 2 pictures are the FSU Study Center.

Watching American Television in London Using the Slingbox and Computer

When traveling to foreign countries - it is always nice to see their newspapers and television programs. London media has a flavor all its own. Of course - there is lots news about soccer - but there is also a large amount of gossip. They do cover quite a few stories about America - particularly Hollywood.

Thanks to a great new invention called Slingbox - one can view television programming directly from one's home. A slingbox is a small piece of hardware that you connect to your television service at home and also connect it to your internet service. In our case - we have a satellite Direct Tivo at home and Comcast cable internet.

No matter where you travel - as long as you have an internet connection - you can see and tune your home television. Even if you are on the internet wirelessly squatting on someone else's signal - you can watch the TV programming directly from your home and the old USA.

Our London apartment has wireless internet. Using our laptops macs here - we can watch our home television live or view programs that our Tivo digital video recorder has recorded for us. We can also set the recorder to record other programs right from our computer screen here.

I like to watch The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Lulu loves to watch All My Children.

I forgot to mention that our Slingbox cost $120 - but you do not have to pay any monthly fee to operate it. Many times we have watched football games or nightly news while sitting in airports or even sitting in a rental car. You do not even need a clear view of the southern sky.

First picture is Jay Leno on the Mac Book Pro. Second picture is what a Slingbox looks like - about the size of a paperback book.

After touring all around London during the day - it is great to catch up on the news back home or watch a movie on HBO. We are very surprised with the clear picture and quality sound.

Now we are all ready for hurricane season back in Tallahassee.

Mum-Mum Sings to Grandson Jack

Jack was already 4 days old when we had to leave Syracuse. Nancy does not sing much - but when she is really really happy.....



.....she is an angel.

Trailing Spouses Lands in London

Lulu is teaching a course at the FSU Study Center in London. For the next 7 weeks - this little apartment is our home. Although it is small and spartan - it is a great location right in downtown London near the British Museum (their Smithsonian). Hotels in this area cost $300 a night - so 50 nights in this pad is saving us $15,000! We are in Apartment 2 of the Janet Poole House at 105 Gower Street. It seems like all the houses have names over here - I guess it is so you can tell them apart. Dr. Sandy D'Alembert - former FSU president - is staying in Apartment 4 - he is teaching a course on International Law here.

Our trip over here went from Tallahassee to Atlanta to Syracuse to Cincinnati and finally to London. The last leg of the trip was overnight - it was a very pleasant flight because Lulu got us exit row seats - and they were near the bathrooms. We also made a 3 day stop in Syracuse to see Jack - my grandson.

Lulu's classes are Tuesday and Thursday. So we have 5 days a week for touring - with 4 day weekends. We plan to go to Liverpool - Brighton Beach - and Cornwall. Lulu's grandfather's family came from Cornwall.

Keith is going to visit us the last 2 weeks. He is a fan of the Arsenal Soccer Team. He already bought tickets for a match in Germany against Stuttgart. We will be visiting Tubingen, Germany - where Duke Eberhard lived and founded a university. We might get to see Volkwagens - Porsches - or Mercedes being made.

Once we got to Gatwick Airport in London - we took the express train to downtown - then took a little black London cab to our flat.

As you know - Lulu does the work to earn all this travel. I carry her bags - this time it was a real task - we had 8 different bags and some were very heavy. As usual I am too tight to pay a porter - so the Trailing Spouse was earning his keep. Cheerio.

Lulu is a Grandmother - she looks way too young for that

We are on our way to London - Lulu is teaching a course at the FSU Center. When we bought the plane tickets - we were hoping that Jack would be born before we flew across the Atlantic. It took a lot of planning but we had scheduled a 3 day stopover in Syracuse "just in case." We were lucky - Jack followed the schedule and we got a chance to hold him while he was still little.

There is nothing more boring than someone telling you how perfect their grandchild is - so you won't here that from me. But you will hear from me about the great parents my son Drew and his wife Robin are going to be.

It was about 30 years ago when I held my own two sons like this. So many wonderful thoughts were going through my mind. Now - in reflection - it was even better than I thought. When I look at Jack - I see the wonderful future he is going to have and I see the face of Drew.

60 years ago - I was born to an anthracite coal miner in the hills of Pennsylvania and his housewife. We lived in a farmhouse without plumbing - I was born in the upstairs bedroom - on a freezing cold February night. The doctor arrived late at night in a horse drawn sled - I am not kidding. The roads were too icy for cars. The doctor rolled up his coat to make a pillow and he slept on the couch. By 5:00 AM - I was ready for a grand entry. Everything went well - and the doctor charged $15. Some people would say it was a bargain - others would say they got gyped.

Now - they have sonograms - birthing rooms - and all sorts of helpful inventions. In the old days babies were breast fed because it was a bargain.

We are enjoying this short visit - holding our grandson - it is still hard to use that term. Already - I feel the reality of being a grandfather 1000 miles away.

His name is Jack - named after his two great grandfathers. Jack Robinson - was at one time a minister in Tallahassee. Bobby Bowden told Lulu that Jack "saved" him. Jack also got a gold medal in the 1948 Olympics playing basketball. Jack Cox - Lulu's dad worked as a Tasty Kake delivery man. His claim to fame was only missing 2 days of work in 40 years - that included Saturdays and starting at 3 AM every day. I hope Jack is like them.

Jack's middle name is Robert - named after his grandfather a pathologist from Balitmore. Bob must have been pretty excited to be a grandfather - because he drove all the way from Baltimore to Syracuse to greet Jack on the first day.

The last name - Everhart - comes from me. This side of his family is not a illustrious. I was a middle school science teacher. My Dad was a coal miner - and his father tried many thing before joining the Merchant Marines and dying at sea at the hands of a German torpedo.

All of this stuff which pretty boring to anyone but me - Jack is here - and we are very very happy.

Tomorrow - June 24th. - we fly from Syracuse to Cincinnati - to London. Lulu and I will be celebrating our 37th. anniversary mostly on the plane. We will bridged between two wonderful adventures - meeting our first grandchild and Lulu teaching her first class abroad. We are all very blessed.

The Everhart Name Lives On With A Summer Solstice Baby - Jack Robert Everhart

June 20, 2008 - is the first day of summer - often called the Summer Solstice. This evening at 11:59 PM - the sun will reach its highest point on its travel into the Northern Hemisphere.

The Summer Solstice is considered by some scientists to be the start of the astronomical year - and this young man started our year with a bang. It is also the start of a new wave of Everharts.

At 11:31 this morning - Robin and Drew had our very first grandchild. It's a boy! He weighs 7 pounds and 6 ounces.

This fella is the latest carrier of the Everhart banner and he is the leader of our next generation. In two days - we will be flying to Syracuse to see the newest love of our lives.

Doesn't he just look like a Little Duke Blue Devil?

Jack Robert Everhart

All three are doing fine. Robin snapped the eyes wide open picture.

When I asked Drew how are the facilties at the hospital he said, "Great - they have free wi-fi here."

Click Pictures to Enlarge.

Our Waterfall