2009 - My year in review

Hey Gang,
2009 - My year in review.
How do I sum up 2009? Lots of stress, uncertainty, tragedy, a few personal triumphs and quiet. I guess that would be correct. Some of you are probably thinking besides the quiet sounds like a typical Carey year. Not really.
The year started off with way to much stress from my deranged nephew, an on going battle with Euclid, and financial difficulties that lasted until mid summer. My travel wings remained for the most part clipped and ventured out only a few times. And as usual the revolving door of friends appearing and disappearing was present but not as much as in years past, as I said it was relatively quiet.
The tragic was the passing of Marks daughter that is still hard to think about and accept. I will never forget the phone call from Jamie informing of what happened. So very sad.
The triumphs were Euclids case against me being thrown out, maintaining ownership of my houses and business rebounding, lets hope these three continue into the years ahead.
Met a few interesting people. I had the pleasure to meet Mayor Murray and his wife Sylvia of Somerville, Texas, Carey Coleman radio personality and ex weather forecaster for channel 43, John Kasich former representative and TV host of In the Heartland and now governor hopeful for Ohio, George Sleigh a 911 survivor, and a host of councilman, representatives and others in elected positions.
Like I said I didn't do much in the way of travel but made the most of the opportunities that were granted to me. Dov and I picked up Millard in Kentucky in July and he stayed for about a month. That was a fun trip. A couple of the evenings down there were unseasonably cool. For the return trip Jeff came along. It was a fun filled adventuresome four days. It seemed as if we were gone much longer. I have been to Kentucky more times than I can remember but I am still finding new things to see. On the way to take Jeff and Millard to see Natural Bridge we went through the Nada tunnel. What a sight! It looked like something out of Jurassic Park.
I also went to Texas with Walt that stretched not only our patience with each other but also our nerves. I still don't know how Walt managed to perform in a grueling jet ski race after a 1,300 mile plus trip with very little to no sleep in 104 degree heat. I could barely function doing nothing.
Looking back though the trip was still worth it as I got to see places I have never been before. Heading to Texas we did take one short break in Parkers Crossroads, Tennessee site of a civil war battle. Barbara Warhurst who works at the bookstore & gift shop found out after she got the job there that her great great grandpa James Madison Allen fought at that battle. I really enjoyed my conversation with her.
While in Texas we went to College Station home of Texas A&M and historic downtown Brenham. On the way home we stopped in Hope Arkansas home of President Clinton and Governor Huckabee and Hot Springs, Arkansas which I hope to return to see the rest of the historic sites.
The Winter Cookout resumed with about 12 in attendance as well as the Christmas Spaghetti Dinner/gift exchange. But 2009 was the first year I didn't have a backyard cookout.
Went to the beach only once and didn't even enjoy it. Poor Millard. Every year he comes in June the weather isn't warm enough for a beach outing. So I told him come in July and what happens? The day we made plans it was unseasonably cool with cold water temps.
I took a few day trips. One was to the Pemberville Free Fair with Jeff B., it was unplanned and turned out to be a very good time with free vegetables for me. Took Mom, my sister Cindi and Jeff M. to the Painesville Town Square car show and ended the night in Geneva on the Lake and yet again it was cool. Other than that car show didn't attend any others.
A couple of the more exciting things I did was spend the night in the Mansfield Reformatory with my sister and Jeff M.. A very memorable eery experience. Also sort of along the same lines of being in an abandoned place I went to Detroit Superior Bridge Festival held in the lower level where the streetcars use to run. What a fascinating experience. And again almost along those same lines was being inside of Euclid Square Mall which is just about completely vacant.
As for the Christmas season it was quiet and besides the major disappointment of Ruth being denied after we spent months planning her visit it was nice. It started early with my Christmas Spaghetti Dinner/Gift Exchange. After that Cindi planned a Christmas outing to see the Christmas Story House and then had friends over her house. Christmas Eve I spent playing Santa with Jeff B., dropping off gifts to my tenants, spending some time with Walts family and then ending the night with Bruce and his Mom for coffee and laughs. Christmas just the family, the first time no one dropped in on us. For New Years Eve Cindi invited me to a singles night at her church, Willoughby Friends. Met some interesting people there. It was fun.
Well that about sums up my year 2009, if I forgot mentioning something I did with you, sorry! Just send me an email and say what about.....
Happy New Years Friends
and may 2010 be prosperous and healthy for all of us.

Gotta GoGo!!
Carey

My year in review - 2008.

Hey Gang
My year in review - 2008.
Another year of way up to wayyyyyy down to back up, in that regards it was a normal year for me. And another thing that was also the same was I did something I keep saying I would never do again - get involved in politics. Even though this was at the tail end of 2007 it carried over into 2008, being a delegate for Governor Huckabee. If I am correct I was the first on his band wagon for this area. My hopes seemed they could become a reality but unfortunately the media and establishment did Huckabee in. 2008 saw a few of my past predictions come true. I said a few years back McCain would grab the GOP nomination and ultimately lose it from lack of support from the Christian Right and I also said the time was right for a black as president. Even though I was not a McCain fan but for the good of the party and this country I volunteered for his visit at Mentor High. I also met and spoke with Dennis Kucinich twice. I hosted a backyard party for Mike Guitierez who ran for state representative. So I was fairly active in the political realm. In 2008 saw my other warnings of the demise of the domestic auto makers and how this country is broke become closer to reality.
Business was horrible to OK back to bad to a leveling off near the end of the year. The upside coincided with the decline of the fuel prices. During the lean months a good friend bailed me out with a healthy cash gift to make it through. That was a real Godsend. And some of you may remember that business that owed me $2,400 from way back in 2006, they finally paid me.
Minor and near major legal issues hounded me. Two traffic violations, one I represented myself I won, the other got an attorney and lost. I challenged the late fee for my property tax and also won that. Then there was the legal problem with the big brother government of Euclid and my rentals. I succumbed to paying a partial registration fee on one house but argued and defended my right to block them from entering the house for an inside inspection. It was a busy year fighting all this.
As for traveling, my wings were clipped again but I started to realize gas prices weren't coming down this past summer so I plated the GoGo Bus and decided to travel in it once again, shorter distances but I was out and about in it. Kentucky in February to pick up Millard - Salt Fork, Ohio with Mark & Becky and family with Lisa and Millard coming along also - Cory, Pa. to visit Dennis and enter a car show - back to Kentucky - Letchworth in the Fall with Dov and Lisa, something I've wanted to see for years. And a few other little trips nearby sprinkled in, like Geneva on the Lake, Presque Isle, Pa. and the Geauga County Fair.
Though I am not the best swimmer and for sure know nothing about scuba diving, Walt had me attending functions with the scuba club he belongs to, the Aqua Amigos. We went to the Commodores Club for a spring picnic, a month later the USS Cod sub where we got to spend as much time as we liked after hours touring it and most recently a trip to Huron to attend the Bay Area Divers 25Th Anniversary banquet where I met two famed divers, David Trotter and Jim Kennard.
We lost Grandma this year, she died in her sleep, still relatively heathly at 97, thats the way to go. My cat also passed on from poisoning, that was horrible.
A couple of old friends got in contact with me again, Lisa from Erie and Dennis of Cory, Pa. whom I haven't spoken with in a couple of years. Its good to have them back around.
2008 saw the end of a couple of events I annually hold, the Winter Cookout, a Memorial day cookout/camp out, and My Christmas Spaghetti dinner party because of a conflict of scheduling with my sisters Christmas party. I hope to be able to revive them in '09. The relatively new tradition of cooking spaghetti and spending Christmas eve with Walt and his family though took place again. After dinner we went to this old church in Mentor called, Mentor Christian Church. The congregation started way back in 1828. The new church, if you can call it that, was built in 1915. It was so cozy and such a throwback to earlier days, what a wonderful way to spend Christmas eve. The church is rectangular, with a balcony above. They still play the organ. For the close they lit candles, shut of the lights and sang Silent Night. Walt said he kept looking around to see if John Boy from the Walton's was going to appear. Christmas it self was quiet but Friday I made another pasta dinner and had friends over and gave them their gifts. And tonight, Tuesday, I was invited by Walt and his brother Steve & his wife Monica to see Trans Siberian Orchestra. WOW what a show, the best way to describe it is its like a religious acid trip. You have to see the show, everyone needs to at least once. What a audio and visual experience.
So it was an up and down - up and down year, lots of good and some bad. Wonder how '09 will play out.

HAPPY NEW YEARS FRIENDS!!!
Gotta GoGo!!
Carey