After a week’s hiatus, I’m Baaaack! Our trip to Sarasota could not have been better. The US Junior National Rowing competition was something to behold. The Nathan Benderson Park venue (touted best rowing facility in the nation) was stunning. And what Dinah’s US Junior Girls Rowing Team was able to accomplish was amazing – coming in for Silver beating the third place team by just one tenth of a second. It was a nail biter.

Weather wise, the most that Florida could’ve thrown at me (but never did), was brought north. This past week we had ridiculously high humidity, ‘real-feel’ temperatures constantly sitting at 105, and a rain and lightning storm with winds in excess of 80mph. Our energy company was trying to re-establish power to just over 200,000 customers. Marcia and I wondered if the last one to get their power on would get a prize (sort of a reverse lottery).

Coffee Trivia –
Due to my Dutch heritage I’ve got to point out that The Dutch East India Company; was the first to import coffee on a large scale. That company helped institute banking as a lending entity which the Brits began to study. It also assisted bringing about Holland’s ‘Golden Age’, As during that time The Dutch East India Company ushered in the Netherlands as the world’s naval powerhouse to primarily to protect their fleets [read the history of Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter born March 24, 1607].

However, to be a bit more clinical, Coffee contains important nutrients we all need. One cup of coffee contains; “11% of the daily recommended amount of Riboflavin (vitamin B2), 6% of Pantothenic Acid (vitamin B5), 3% of Manganese and Potassium, and 2% of Niacin and Magnesium. And. the buzz some feel after drinking coffee comes from ingesting tiny 0.0016-inch crystals of caffeine.”

Chaos & Mayhem – And this was only a street away from our actual C&M Corner (less when cutting through someone’s yard). We were only home a couple of days when I smelled smoke and saw it fill our street. Marcia quickly picked up the details on her scanner. It was a two alarm and brought under control very quickly. The news claims it was $400,000 damage.

Father’s Day? – One item I should get out of my system. As a society we’ve gone absolutely ‘nutso’ by allocating a single day each year to celebrate Mothers and then Fathers; to now proceed allocating a full month to a small verge group loosely housing themselves under the acronym LGBTQIA+ (an acronym umbrella which rolls off one’s tongue doesn’t it?)

For a species which depends on natural selection, humans require a mechanism which our species depends on, sexual reproduction – this requires male and female traits.

Why not celebrate family, mother, father, and the power of starting new life on a strong path into the future – and celebrate that for a month?

I have little to no problem accepting that people have behaviors along a spectrum and wish everyone a long and fulfilling life, but a month-long celebration for LGBTQIA+? Give me a break.

Planning for the coming recession? – The idiocy of shutting down a whole economy, printing out millions of blank checks to everyone here and there, telling a nation to stay home from work, breaking up the supply chain, and then while at it spend trillions of dollars on pet causes; is it anything but a cause for disaster?

Now the spike in inflation (officially May 8.6% – most likely higher) is the highest in 40 years, and the 13th straight month with rise over 5%.

It’s actually funny to watch Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wiggle around trying to unpack the blame for the downward spiral away from her boss and his inflationary policies.

USRowing Youth National Championships, Sarasota, FL – I’ve gone on and on about to the point of driving the family bonkers – hence, it’s enough. Now just some photos for those who hadn’t seen anything about the event. But winning a silver second place by one tenth of a second fighting off 18 nationally represented teams is quite special.

Fini –
• An exclamation point to the whole weekend

• Flying soon? Let me know whether or not you experienced the newest ‘double-decker’ seating arrangement.

• Good times with George and Sandy who made the jaunt north from Naples. Thanks guys!

• Sarasota: After dinner – by the beach – it was drumming into the night

• Boating. Only in America

• Waiting for sunset at Nokomis Beach, FL

• Pop’s Pub in Nokomis, FL. With Jason, Cathy, Marcia, and me. A super fun evening, great food and drinks. And special thanks to the two guys who kept supplying the ladies with shots.

• When a downpour happens during a rowing race, the racing never stops. The beach did clear of people, but the cheers and ringing cowbells stayed active.

• With the seeming food shortages and looking ahead. Should I begin stocking up on ‘Fromm’ or do you think ‘Taste of the Wild’ better? Asking for a friend.

• Even during races the training and warming up continued

• This week it was announced that Dr. Fauci tested positive for Covid. Remember when this same Doctor was quoted as saying; “when people are vaccinated, they can feel safe that they are not going to get infected.” I will let both Sandy and George know, as just this week they are getting over a bout of Covid – btw; they’ve both been jabbed and boosted.

• I know that with all that’s happening it’s easy to forget that we are still holding January 6 ‘political’ prisoners in prison in DC. They have not been formally charged and by not having a ‘speedy’ trial are being denied their basic human rights.

• Dr. Simone Gold, JD, MD, founder of America’s Frontline Doctors and conservative voice on the handling of the Covid epidemic was sentenced to 60-days in jail for entering the Capitol Building (the peoples house) without an invitation January 6. Does the photo taken during the January 6 occurrence depict an out-of-control rioter?

• Seeing this side of Florida is not very common. Cathy, Jason, Marcia and I took some time to explore and were glad we did.

Ciao, and be well till next weekend. Wish all happiness and to all the Dads recognition for their role in all of our lives. Keep on storming the castle. Pray for Peace.

Dirk