Les229 & olgrandad (OT but interesting...)

Les229 2016-09-23 21:00:54 UTC #1

Hey olgrandad! I haven't heard from you in a long time. How have you been?

olgrandad 2016-09-23 21:11:23 UTC #2

Hey Les,

I have been writing books as my health deteriorates.... As a famous jazz musician once said, "the Golden Years suck".... Actually, I have noticed your recent entries as well and thought about our time together in C'water. I'll probably never get back there, unfortunately. C'est la vie. But nice to hear from you.

olgrandad 2016-09-23 21:20:44 UTC #3

I responded but it seems to have disappeared in the clouds. In any case, I have been lying fairly low though following our team through this outlet and elsewhere. I noticed your posts several times and thought about our time together in Clearwater. I enjoyed that very much--my only spring training with the Phils. Unfortunately, I'll probably never be back. My days on the road have pretty much come to an end as my health has deteriorated considerably. Yet I managed to turn out my third book earlier this year. That may be my last as well. Thanks for getting in touch, and I'll look for more entries from you.

Cheers...

Les229 2016-09-23 21:20:51 UTC #4

Did you really get to march with the Half Fast Marching Group?

olgrandad 2016-09-24 00:53:48 UTC #5

Oh, yes, I marched with Pete and the Half Fast Walking Club through his 80th birthday (2010), then I hung 'em up. A lot of fun, especially the year after Katrina (2006).

Les229 2016-09-24 03:30:03 UTC #6

olgrandad

I hate you! I tried to get in that club when I was working in New Orleans, but didn't have the juice. I always liked their attitude. Is it true that they carried Pete in a sedan chair towards the end? Are they still joining the parades?

olgrandad 2016-09-24 15:20:23 UTC #7

Well, we moved to St. Louis (ugh) in 2014 and Pete hadn't been a sedan chair up to that time. I left the HFWC at its 50th anniversary, as Pete was about to turn 80 (and me 75).

Les229 2016-09-24 20:58:35 UTC #8

Not much has really changed with me. My health is relatively good(I'm 77 now) but still attend the Phils spring training home games and practices and write about them. I really don't enjoy long trips much just up and down the Gulf beaches. Thanks to the internet, I never miss a Phils game. The beach is a lot more crowded now. Some travel sites have named us the "Best Beach in America". I wish they would stop, there are 9 new high rise (and high dollar) hotels going up on the beach. The place is really crowded in season. There must be a better beach somewhere that they can tout.

julio 2016-09-24 22:01:12 UTC #9

Les229 and olgrandad,

I might suggest that you take your personal discussion to our Private Messages section (you can use the "PM" button that appears to the left or bottom of the each post); but if you want to continue it in public, you can use this thread. It was waaayyy off-topic in the other thread.

Thanks!

LoneStarPhan 2016-09-24 22:26:37 UTC #10

While the advise from julio is generally the right way to go for a personal back and forth exchange like this one, I have found this exchange interesting and informative. It is always good to learn more about some of our long time posters.

Les229 2016-09-25 03:28:17 UTC #11

Sorry, Olegrandad and I both participated on other websites for a long time. I haven't heard from him for a while. It probably won't happen again. LoneStarFan, I agree with you that it is interesting to learn something about the other posters.

bkeich 2016-09-25 04:16:53 UTC #12

Which beach Les? I lived in Pensacola Beach for most of the last 12 years (just moved back to Allentown). Sounds pretty close to what is happening in Pensacola Beach (except the building is now done as of a couple years ago)

olgrandad 2016-09-25 14:59:58 UTC #13

Gee, Les, we have our very own thread!! I too am sorry about intruding in the Phillies' discussions. But it was nice while it lasted...

phillychuck 2016-09-25 15:28:53 UTC #14

Not an intrusion at all...as mentioned, we all learned something about you two!

Les229 2016-09-25 15:36:18 UTC #15

I live in Clearwater. I came down for spring training and never left. This is not the same beach that I moved to in '03. About 5 years ago some of the vacation sites started to name us first the number one beach in Florida and now the best beach in the USA. I think it is the fine, powdery sand on the beach. I haven't seen anything like before. Locals in the tourist industry love it and are building new hotels and restaurants everywhere. It can be very hard getting restaurant tables and parking spaces and the traffic backs up for as much as an hour. I think our problems are a little different than Pensacola in that most of the college kids think Clearwater is too expensive. Most of our spring breakers are families with school aged kids. The Phillies, Yankees and Blue jays all train here too. It's been interesting to watch happen, but it can be aggravating for a local sometimes.

olgrandad 2016-09-25 16:04:36 UTC #16

Les229:

I live in Clearwater. I came down for spring training and never left. This is not the same beach that I moved to in '03. About 5 years ago some of the vacation sites started to name us first the number one beach in Florida and now the best beach in the USA. I think it is the fine, powdery sand on the beach. I haven't seen anything like before. Locals in the tourist industry love it and are building new hotels and restaurants everywhere. It can be very hard getting restaurant tables and parking spaces and the traffic backs up for as much as an hour. I think our problems are a little different than Pensacola in that most of the college kids think Clearwater is too expensive. Most of our spring breakers are families with school aged kids. The Phillies, Yankees and Blue jays all train here too. It's been interesting to watch happen, but it can be aggravating for a local sometimes.

Such is the life in a tourist town, Les. I felt that way in New Orleans, after living there for 25 years. Why are all these yahoos invading MY space?

julio 2016-09-25 18:34:50 UTC #17

Yes...had it been an "intrusion," yours truly would probably have deleted it. Nothing wrong with things like this - I just like to keep things "tidy" by breaking them out when they take on a life of their own!

Les229 2016-09-25 20:26:18 UTC #18

Yeah, granddad, but I do appreciate the this area when it is snowing up north and I am sitting on a restaurant patio down here in shorts, bar T shirts and sandals enjoying lunch and a libation. It all has it's tradeoffs.

Les229 2016-09-25 20:33:09 UTC #19

Julio

No sweat, I just didn't really understand the rules, or know about the pm button. I do have a fairly religious personal practice of answering posters who address questions to me. I understand that the well run forums has to have somebody do it. Since there has been some response here. it might be a good idea to start a thread where the different members can introduce themselves and tell a little about themselves. Maybe you have already done it and I just joined too late.

julio 2016-09-25 20:55:00 UTC #20

I had a hunch about that...

Off-topic posts in thread are not "against the rules," per se - we have side conversations in threads pretty much all the time. When they get too extensive, one of the moderators splits them into their own thread. It's just part of the job... (which doesn't mean I won't grouse about it occasionally - hey, you get what you pay for! )