Pamplin Boys

     I grew up in North St. Louis specifically the Walnut Park area.  My childhood friends lived only doors away on the same block, Pamplin Place.  I love the fact that we stay in touch even though we have gone our separate ways. 

     Frank Berra (oldest) was always the mediator, Jim Madigan was the comedian, Reinhard Altenhofer was the adventurer and me, Jim Ladendecker, (youngest) was the observer.

     Frank was always the one to step in to mediate a situation.  He would negotiate things between us when we couldn't come to some agreement.  Frank is also a collector of memorabilia from past times.   He enjoys collecting things that evoke pleasant memories of the past.  Frank is the one that has reunited the old gang for card games at his house 3 or 4 times a year.  His basement is filled with old memories and many old movie posters.  I remember when I was very young and had a fist fight with Rein, I don't remember what it was about, just that the next day we were friends again because Frank told us to forget about the squabble and just shake hands as friends.  Frank's house was one of the places we would hangout when not running around the neighborhood.

     Jim M knew everyone and still does today.  He is like a book of knowledge regarding north county people and it seems like he is related to all of them in some way.  You've heard the saying "Six degrees of Kevin Bacon", well I believe it should really be the "Six degrees of Jim Madigan".  Jim was always cracking a joke, it was just his nature.  Jim had a natural talent for remembering jokes and repeating them at any time and he still does.   Comedy seemed to come to him naturally maybe it was his Irish heritage.  He could make me laugh almost anytime, especially when we were supposed to be quite while saying our morning prayers at school.  I guess some families have a humor gene that goes from generation to generation.  As it turns out Jim’s niece Kathleen is a professional comedian.

     Reinhard was always the adventurer wanting to travel the world. Rein lived right across the street (our 2nd house on Pamplin) from me.  He insisted that he would travel the world instead of getting married at a young age.  My Dad bet him $5.00 that he would be married by age 25, Rein won that bet.  His favorite car was the Chevrolet Corvette, which he intended to own some day.  He achieved this dream as well.  He joined the Marines which was the start of his world travels.  He has traveled the world and lived in many different countries for extended periods of time, working odd jobs while living there.  




     As a young kid, I was not the leader of our group but just one of the gang and more of an observer in some cases. To me as with most kids, friends were the most important part of being young.  My house was another place we would hangout either playing cards or goofing around in the garage.  My parents were glad to have us there partly because they could keep a closer eye on us which is important because boys can easily get in to trouble.  I was the smallest and youngest of the group and a bit quite but always glad to be included.  I guess it's not surprising that as the observer I am writing this story.

     Now we are older and grown in different ways but we still have traits of the personalities we had as young boys.  You can see the kid in all of us when we get together on our occasional card night at Frank's.  Our card games include not only the Pamplin boys but buddies from nearby streets like John O'Toole (Mimika) , Mick Noser, (Floy Ave), the Dunn brothers (John & Butch), Tom (very funny sarcastic humor) and a few others now and then.  These card games are fun but you shouldn't go if you have sensitive feelings, everything said is not politically correct but it's ok we are among friends and nothing is being recorded. 

People of Color

     Recently, I have heard African Americans (Blacks) refer to theirself as a "Person of Color", which seems funny to me because we (all humans) have color.  I know of zero human beings that are colorless (clear), they would be invisible.  In the US it seems we are overly concerned with black and white race issues, but the truth is no one has pure white colored skin. A styrofoam coffee cup is white, no person is truly white, we are all people of color.  In this world you will find people with many different completions such as fair, black, brown, olive, yellow, red, etc.  These seem like relatively minor differences.  Humans have many things in common but we seem to concentrate on skin color, why?

     So instead of getting wrapped around the axel with skin color which seem to pull us apart why aren't we looking for those similarities that bring us together?  I'm a tennis player and I have played for many years with people of many races but on the tennis court we are just tennis players.  I play in a doubles league but I also play singles with a friend (Joe) every week.  Joe is black but he once referred to himself as a person of color, I chuckled a little inside but didn't comment, but if it comes up again I will explain that I have color too.  He's a friend so it's easy for me to be me.  We joke around with each other like most guys, but we play to win and have fun.  We have a common ground that binds us which is the sport of tennis.  We may have different backgrounds, upbringing, religion, personality but we don't let that get in the way.

     Here's an idea for US citizens instead of classifying people by race, religion or heritage.  Let's start by looking for some common ground, something that we can all get behind.  How about just calling ourselves "Americans" without all the adjectives.  We should all be proud of that.  "Just Saying..."

News Detox (Cleanse)

     We are bombarded with news daily through all of our electronic devices and it always seems to be negative news.  Lately it has been local news detailing facts and opinions of the Ferguson tragedy, the world news on ISIS and many other stories that are anything but uplifting. 

     Now I’m not one to stick my head in the sand to avoid reality but when is it enough.  News coverage goes on all day long and sends alerts to your phone about the latest crisis, even when you are watching your favorite comedy series a banner will appear on the bottom of the screen to alert you of some new disaster or your program will be interrupted describing some eminent danger of the coming thunderstorm.  Sometimes I just want to say, “Leave me alone”.  Truthfully, the news media just fans the flames of any tragedy or disaster which keeps it alive.  They interview hostile people who's only purpose is to stir the pot and make it worse.   It's a way of getting their 15 minutes of fame.  Living your life (work, family, etc.) can be stressful enough without having to deal with the world tragedies constantly.

     Lately I have been feeling a little out of sorts but I exercise and eat pretty well so I am attributing my physical condition to negative news, lets call it “negative news syndrome”.  I don’t know if this is a recognized syndrome but I believe all the negative news is having a bad effect on me right now, so I have decided to do a news cleanse.  Since cleanses are the latest rage it only seems right that I should cleanse my body of all the negative news that I  have recently ingested. 

     In a normal day I will get up read the paper, but I also surf the

Internet looking for more articles.  I’m actually looking for fun or inspiring stories but the negative stories monopolize the sites, just reading the headline can be depressing.  So I feel my only option to get out of this news funk and back to a feel good mode is to turn off the news.  So I have decided go cold turkey on the news for 1 week.  I know I won’t be able to totally avoid it because it’s everywhere but I will not read it, listen to it or talk about it.

     I don’t know how well this will work but I’m looking at it as a news vacation in place.  I think it’s worth a try but I’ll let you know. I found some good news websites which are more enjoyable reading.  Even after my news detox week I plan to stay on a news diet keeping in touch but not over dosing.  "Just Saying…”

Raft Trip down the Colorado

   Taking vacations was something we always looked forward too.  One summer we decided to take a trip to Colorado, we had been there many times before but it was always in the winter to go skiing.  On this trip our kids were teenagers and we we wanted to do things they were interested in as well memorable.

     A summer vacation in Colorado would be great.  We drove which is a long and boring drive especially for kids (19 & 16).  This was before smart phones, iPads even car video players, so we had to revert to count the cars (color) or some other word game to keep everyone occupied and entertained.  We stayed in Eagle Colorado, which is right off Hwy 70 and easy access to many interesting areas.  There were a number of things on the agenda but I had made up the list so it was not necessarily what my wife or kids would have chosen.

     We all were interested in going to Pikes Peak, and Hot Springs but the kids also wanted to go to the outlet mall which I didn't understand.  Why would that be interesting, were in the Rocky Mountains after all.  Well my wife pointed out to me that it's a vacation for us all not just me, ok but it still seemed wrong.  So in addition to Pikes Peak an Hot Springs we went to the mall but also the small town of Leadville, which has amazing scenery along the way.  There were many places on the road to Leadville with spots to park so you could walk down to the stream and just appreciate nature.  We did this a few times.  The water was crystal clear and icy cold even though it was summer, after all these were mountain streams fed by melting snow.  At one of these stops Mimi (my wife) rushed down ahead of us saying "I want to touch the pretty water" but around the pretty water were pretty slippery rocks and she quickly went down on her butt.  This was not really funny but for some reason things like this always make people laugh.  The kids laughed, I laughed even Mimi laughed and cried a little.  She touched pretty water and the pretty rocks.  Years later she found she had broken tail none.

     One thing still on the list was a raft trip down the Colorado river.  Mimi was a little tentative about this and told me to make sure it was a safe thing to do.  But instead I just bought the tickets and we all headed off to the meeting spot to sign waivers and get training on what to do if you fell out of the raft.  Mimi asks what the waivers were for, I said it's just a formality in case you die, the raft company is not responsible.  "What the hell" she said, " it's no biggie, it never happens" I said, but I hadn't convinced her.  She reluctantly signed the paper.  The raft instructor then went on to explain what to do if you fell out of the raft, you needed to cross your arms and legs pointing downstream and just float until the raft caught up with you. This was not a big confidence  builder either.  Neither the waiver nor the instructions bothered our kids, they  were anxious to go.

     At this point we got on the bus to take us to the put in point but I could see Mimi was getting more nervous as we approached.  As we pulled up you could see the rapids ahead and at this point Mimi said "I'm not going", the bus driver probably hearing these words many times said " I can drive you down below the rapids so you can get board the raft where it is calm".  Mimi thought that was a better idea and agreed to do that.   So the kids and I got on the raft and headed down the Colorado River toward the rapids with our experienced river guide from Creve Coeur, Missouri.  I'm not kidding our expert guide was Missouri transplant.  I would have preferred a bearded crotchety old mountain man with skin like tree bark and straggly hair (maybe a guy that just grunts and points because that’s the way you communicate in the wild) or an American Indian that could read the water ripples and tells chilling river stories, but it was not to be.  Just to let you know in case you're not familiar with the town of Creve Coeur, Missouri, it's an upper class neighborhood, not where you would find Bear Grylls scaling a mountain peak.  A rough outdoor experience for people from Creve Coeur would be using plastic wine glasses while camping in your motor home so having a river guide from Creve Coeur was a surprise.  As it turns out most of the guides on these raft rides were from some state other than Colorado. 

      We conquered the rapids without any mishaps (see photo) and enjoyed every moment, it was exhilarating.  We then proceeded down the river to pick up Mimi waiting on the shore, she hopped on and we continued on our way.  There were a few smaller rapids but none the size of the first.  We beached the raft to have lunch and relax.  After lunch we continued the raft trip, we were now in the deep but calm part of the river so you could jump in for a dip if you wanted.  There were a few other rafts around as well; this is when the water fight started. Our guide (let's call him Creve) had a water cannon and started shooting at the rafters in the other boats and they in turn sprayed us.  It was a fun day and a great way to end our rafting experience.  "Hey! Creve can I get another Latte before we dock with extra cinnamon this time."  Boy! It seems like all of our vacations have both memorable and funny experiences.

Our Nations Sensitivity

     Have we lost our sense of humor?  Why do the small minority groups get all the attention? It even seems to be the smallest group within the minority that get the news media attention.  In my estimation we take political correctness to the extreme and sometimes it seems that the main reason is for media attention.

     As an example let's take the discussion about the Washington Redskins.  It's a name of a professional football team and has been for many years, why is this now becoming an issue?  It doesn't sound disparaging to me, actually why wouldn't it be considered a compliment?

     What about the Pittsburg Pirates, isn't it possible that a relative of some well-known pirate (Blackbeard) could be insulted and demand that Pittsburg drop the Pirate logo.  There could be a few reformed pirates of the past that did something worthwhile yet the pirate logo suggest something different.  Arg! This is a terrible way to treat our pirate relatives; actually many of them were more like entrepreneurs, maybe they could change to Pittsburg Entrepreneurs instead that would put a more positive spin on things.  Come On!  Do you see how ridiculous this is?

     If the issue with Washington Redskins continues maybe they could change to Washington Palefaces, which would hopefully redeem the many years humiliation.  In all the old westerns paleface was always the word used to describe the white man.  As a Paleface, I would resign myself to live the rest of my life with this stigma.  "Just Saying...."

A Day in Vatican City & the Sistine Chapel

     We had been in Italy for 11 days and Rome was our last stop before flying back to the US.  We had planned our own trip and now after recollection we should have allowed more days to visit Rome.  A visit to Vatican City and The Sistine Chapel were number one on our list and we had made arrangements before we left on our trip to be assured there would be no complications for our visit.  We had searched the internet for tour guides, checking the reviews given by previous tourists and decided to signup with Jennifer (US citizen from Texas) now living in Rome (3 years).  We figured someone that spoke fluent English would make things easier for us, so we signed up on her tour.

     Rome was our last stop before flying back to the USA and we were anxious to see Vatican City but quite accidentally our tour just happened to be on the day of an Italian Holiday.  So why would that be a problem well apparently everyone in Rome goes to Vatican City on an Italian Holiday.  Come On! Is that really necessary?,  you live there, you can go anytime, go to the beach or anywhere else.  We have the Gateway Arch in my hometown but I don't go there on holidays, I leave it for the tourists.  Well that's certainly not the case in Italy.  As you might it expect it was jam-packed and by that I mean we were packed in the courtyard like sardines.  

     Our tour was schedule early in the morning so it would give the afternoon to explore other sites in Rome.  We met up with Jennifer our guide at the appointed time and place to go to the Sistine Chapel.  We had a small group of tourists mainly from the US including a professional hockey player (I don't know his name) and his wife.  Jennifer explained that she was an experienced tour guide and knew all the short cuts that would get us into the chapel without long delays.  Cool, as I said we had other plans for the afternoon.  She carried an umbrella, which she would hold high in the air so that her tour members could easily follow her as she traversed through and around the other tours.

     We reached the line to get into the Sistine Chapel, and I believe we all felt a little relief knowing that we would soon be inside gazing at the beautiful hand painted ceiling in the Sistine Chapel.  We patiently waited in the slow moving line becoming frustrated as other tour groups butted into line blocks ahead of us while Jennifer would tell us it’s just around the corner.  Her promise of the entrance being right around the corner went on for hours and was not only unbelievable but had become more of a joke.  At one point John (our friend) ask Jennifer if she was ever a used car salesman, she promised us everything and delivered nothing.  Each time a group would butt in front of us, we would get more frustrated and annoyed, but this really amped up the hockey player who was ready for a fight, Whew, this was getting dicey.  A fight in front of the Sistine Chapel would be bad press. Thankfully nothing happened, his wife calmed him down.  As we stood waiting in line a motorcycle spun out of control on the street right in front of us, which distracted us for a while.  The rider laid the cycle down on the side and hit the curb but he seemed to be fine.  It seems a little wrong that this was the most interesting part of the tour so far.

     Finally we were approaching the entrance to the chapel, which put us beyond the point where other tour groups could jump in front so that was a relief.  We were in the courtyard of the chapel and there were some interesting artifacts to look at so that was pleasant but it took us 6 hours to get here, Hope this is worth the time.  Well it took us another hour before we entered the chapel and we were repeatedly told no pictures allowed.  What we stood in line for 7 hours and we can’t take pictures. Really, it would seem like the sweat laden air from the hundreds of people in the chapel would be more damaging than a few light bulbs flashing. The Sistine Chapel was packed with people literally shoulder-to-shoulder staring at the ceiling and we seemed like we are being rushed through.  At one point we were standing by a large door that was partially open and Jennifer got all excited saying this was a rare moment that we could peek into the extended quarters of the pope pointing out a door which he uses frequently. Wow, a door that's something special (excuse the sarcasm). I would gladly show you pictures, Oh Yea! I forgot I have none.   

     Sadly the chapel was crowded, hot and poorly lit so it was a let down by all the hype of the amazing painting by Michelangelo.  We were told that the painting took years to complete (painted while lying on his back) which takes great dedication so I bet if it were up to Mich (I'm sure that's what he was called by friends) he would say take your time looking at my painting and take as many pictures as you like.

     I would never tell someone not to go but it’s probably better to wait and make tour arrangements until your there, plus never ever go on an Italian Holiday.