I Used to Climb Mountains

"Sure, you did" was the unspoken comment of
Technicians at a stress test, and
The cardiologist at an annual checkup.
"What mountains?" they asked in bored tones.

"Oh, the White Mountains, Adirondacks, Catskills."
And left it at that as their attention turned elsewhere.
Memory takes me to the top of Mount Washington,
Reached twice from Mount Adams on a traverse of peaks.

Two long, slow slogs up Mount Marcy in New York;
The first from Johns Brook Lodge,
The second from the weather station near the Adirondack Loj
That my Mohican Chapter donated to the Adirondack Club.

Two presidential traverses in the White Mountains.
Including Adams, Madison, Eisenhower, et al.
Thirty of the Adirondack forty-six 4000 footers.
Some reached from a base camp deep in the wilderness.

All of the 35 Catskill mountains over 3500 feet.
Each about 3000 feet in elevation gain.
Half of them on snowshoes.
Number 350 in the Catskill 3500 Club

Almost forgot Killington in the Green Mountains
On a three day trek along Vermont's Long Trail.
Not to mention days and days of hiking up
The Ramapo "mountains" in Harriman Park.

Now a little hill on a local trail is a daunting prospect.
I stop at the top of each to catch my breath
And remember the fabled "mountain high"
At the scaling of another new peak.

Facebook

There is something puzzling about Facebook.
The recent movie about its founding
Has engendered critical reviews and
Questions about its place in social discourse.

As the initial function of informing "friends"
About one's current actions and activities
Has been largely replaced by Twitter,
A variety of uses have sprung up in Facebook.

Most harmless are the silly games,
Except that one's prowess at each
Is a bore to read in daily postings
For those totally uninterested.

Also tedious to be burdened with
Are the postings of young people
That are meaningless to others
Outside the group that they belong to.

More sinister are the solicitations
From nubile young women one does not know
To become their "friends"
For purposes unspecified.

Who befriends whom is a matter of conjecture
As to why one befriends someone else,
And why the rest of us should care,
When we don't know the potential friend at all.

Simply because one person is a friend of our friend,
Why are we invited to befriend him or her?
What then, does being a Facebook friend really mean?
What privileges and obligations does friendship entail?

Facebook has announced a plan
To enable members to form inner and outer groups of friends,
Which will perhaps remove some of the clutter
But leave open the question of what a Facebook friend is.

Autumn in New York

Thursday, the local train from Old Greenwich to Grand Central,
Passing all the old haunts along Long Island Sound.
Fixed a little dinner for grandniece Daisy Millard,
A new student at the School of Visual Arts.

Friday morning at the Metropolitan Museum
To see the Rockefeller primitive collection
And the massive Egyptian wing.
Lunch at the American Wing Cafe.

A little rest in the afternoon, then
Dinner at Basso56, which David introduced to us.
Walked down to the Gershwin Theater on 51st St.
To see a long-anticipated performance of "Wicked."

Did we like it? Well, yes and no.
The cast is lively, enthusiastic ... and young.
We couldn't understand the lyrics or the dialogue;
Nor can we yet figure out the plot.

Every musical number was sung at top volume,
With the words swallowed, as do all contemporary singers.
But the huge audiences raved and shouted.
So they must have appreciated what we missed.

A Saturday matinee at the Metropolitan Opera
Of "Les Contes d'Hoffman," one of my favorites.
I had seen the current production as an HD live broadcast,
But nothing compares with a live performance.

When Barbara found out the the New York City Ballet
Has a fall season at Lincoln Center,
We had to squeeze that into our schedule
On Saturday evening, a few hours later.

Fortified by P.J. Clarke's across Columbus Avenue,
And this time in the newly refurbished Koch Theater.
We saw two classical ballets by Balanchine,
And a modern dance by Jerome Robbins.

Having never seen this company before,
I was enchanted by the quality of the perfomances.
Maybe we will be able to see their "Nutcracker,"
When we are back in town over Christmas.

On Sunday, the main event at the Riverside Yacht Club,
Celebrating with a huge crowd of guests,
The Fiftieth Anniversary party for Sue and Frank Millard.
Barbara was the only attending bridesmaid.

We are fortunate to be able to use the Millard's
Little apartment off Columbus Circle.
After all the years we worked and studied there,
New York calls us back to enjoy her pleasures.

Manners

It is true that "manners" is an archaic concept.
It is also true that satisfactory social intercourse
Is impossible without "good" manners.
Lack of same poisons the well of understanding.

Manners have to be taught to children by parents.
No other agency can transmit the idea
That good manners assure acceptance in
Any decent level of society, anywhere, anytime.

Good manners start with the dictum:
"Such things are simply not done!"
Which sounds elitist when heard for the first time,
Then becomes a search for what things are not to be done.

The objective is to avoid offending someone else,
Requiring effort to discern where that person is in life.
Absent tradition and conventions in our culture,
One is required to metaphorically "walk in his shoes."

"What will people say?" leads to self-preservation.
Simple answers prevent one from committing serious errors,
If you want people to have a good opinion of you,
And of your children, as a parent.

If, as a maverick or rebel, you don't care what people say,
Then you are doomed to be a reject or an outcast.
By conducting yourself in a "manner" which is acceptable,
You earn the approbation of family, friends, and strangers.

It is also true that the positions of "lady" and "gentleman"
Are extinct, but they can be imitated.
The highest compliment one can receive
Is to be referred to as one, simply by the way you conduct yourself.

Small Ball

They don't hit many home runs in the Cape Cod League.
The players are college stars, used to aluminum bats.
They come from all over the country to show what they can do
In something approaching professional league conditions.

The atmosphere at the Cape League ballparks
Is very much like the old days of town teams.
Each of the teams is sponsored by a local town or village.
The parks are owned by the towns and maintained by non-profit groups.

We turn out to cheer for whomever is representing our town this summer.
The players are selected from recommendations by college coaches.
Subject to NCAA rules, they are not paid for playing baseball,
Although many find part time jobs to earn a little money.

Each team has a sponsoring group to raise money, to pay for
Salaries of managers, coaches, umpires, groundskeepers, etc.
And to find, encourage, and support the host families
Who put up ball players in their homes for the summer.

At the ball park, some sit in the little tin bleachers.
Most of the older folks sit in sling chairs on the sidelines.
Kids with mitts play in the outskirts
And race to grab a foul ball hit in their vicinity.

The concession stand is jammed during the entire game.
We have a 50-50 raffle with a variety of sponsors' prizes.
Families spread blankets and picnic with their progeny.
We cheer at all good plays by either side.

Yesterday, the score was tied 1-1 between Chatham and Yarmouth-Dennis.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Chatham pitcher walked two
And was lifted for a relief pitcher, who got the second out, then
Gave up a single that brought in the Y-D runner on second base.

Next, the catcher dropped a pitch, and in the scramble,
Allowed the second runner to advance to third.
Then that runner scored on a passed ball,
And the stands erupted with cheers for the home team.

I score the games; Barbara knits.
I like a tight game -- a real pitchers' duel.
She likes lots of hits, as do most fans.
Doesn't matter who wins, we enjoy the summer at the ball park!

Cruising the Eastern Mediterranean Part III

Off the ship and bussed to Florence, heart of Tuscany,
Which we both had explored in previous visits.
Time for only a half-day expedition led us to the Medici Chapel
To see Michaelangelo's sculptures commissioned by the Grand Dukes.









Then to Rome to have a Chinese dinner near the hotel.
Next day, a long walking tour on a hot day
All over the Colisseum and up through the Forum
To visualize the citizens of the mighty empire at work and play.

Modern Rome is obviously a city in trouble.
Traffic chokes the streets; cars park double and on sidewalks.
Graffiti defaces all the fine old buildings.
Commerce and residence are mixed indiscriminately.

Athens is worse, with little distinctive architecture.
Both cities are capitals of their respective countries.
Grand plans for civic improvement
Are jeopardized by perilous debt in each.

By contrast, we were pleasantly surprised at the
Beauty and order of Izmir in Turkey.
Well laid-out boulevards pass between rows of
Handsome apartment buildings in residential areas.

A dinner out at a little cellar trattoria in Rome,
Followed by an illumination tour and a visit to the fabled
Trevi fountain, where we each threw a coin
Over the left shoulder to assure a return to Rome.

So that two American college students will meet on a
Tour to Italy in 2035, he a geeky blond English major, she
An art student who reminds her family of her wild great aunt,
Barbara; both will wonder what drew them together.

At St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, amidst all the
Renaissance art and churchly opulence, one wonders how
The authorities would react to the presence of an itinerant
Preacher who proclaims: "Blessed are the humble in spirit."

Cruising the Eastern Mediterranean Part II

Watched the ascent of Santorini Island by fellow passengers
By bus, cable car, mule, or on foot up to the town.
Admired the scattering of white stucco houses
Across the island of Myknonos.









Almost every home had a small chapel and mausoleum on site.
Ancient windmills ground corn, like those on Cape Cod.
Admired a startling Baroque church in the middle of a monastery,
Adjacent to a shopping mall where we were served ouzo and sea delicacties.












Back to Venice for a day to take on new passengers.
Boated into Piazza San Marco to visit the Duomo.
Took a special trip on the vaporetto to Santa Maria dei Frari
To see Titian's famous "Assumption of Mary into Heaven."

Dubrovnik lived up to its billing as an
Enchanted walled town with its Renaissance charm intact,
Perched on a cliff overlooking the Adriatic Sea,
Surviving earthquakes and wars over the centuries.

Realized a goal of a lifetime
In seeing the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens.
The new museum at the foot offers a splendid panorama
And displays the original artifacts that adorned the temple.









The ruins of Ephesus, near Izmir, Turkey
Combine the heritage of ancient Greece, the glory of Rome,
And the flowering of Christianity,
Where John lived and Paul preached.

Too worn out from clambering Ephesus
To make a visit to Nafplion,
We viewed and photographed
This jewel of a resort from the comfort of the ship.