Panama Canal Cruise -- Cartegena Columbia

Tuesday 12/11

Hello everyone. Long time since I've checked in, but Royal Caribbean (RC) is giving me 24 hours of "free" Internet as part of my "Diamond Club" bennies package, and I wanted to use it after we did the transit through the Panama Canal, the highlight of the cruise. I put free in quotations because the free applies to only the "basic" Internet, and everyone says the basic is crap, so I was able to upgrade to the "deluxe" internet for just $7 for the day (normally $32.95).

We are currently pulling into Cartegena, and after going back and forth in my mind, I've decided to stay aboard the ship. Bummer. This was the one port of call I wanted to visit to see some emeralds. But I am still not up to strength and don't want to get caught short of wits and have to make a hasty decision to get back to the ship and end up in a rogue cab or something. Plus it's 90 degrees out with full sun. And honestly, there's nothing ashore that I need to buy. I did search for an "emerald museum" or "museum of natural history" in the city, but found nothing other than little boutique museums that are part of retail jewelry stores.  Most of these are described as tourist traps on Google. There's also a "Romancing the Stone"  1/2 day tour by RC, but I don't want to have to keep up with a tour. So I'm on the ship, and that is good enough. Just that I'm on the cruise is miracle enough, and besides I need to build my strength for touring New Orleans.

Anyway, the transit through the canal was completely awesome.  Not so much for the actual technology of rising and falling water, but the sheer size of project, built over 100 years ago and is still vital to the world. I can think of few things that rate that kind of permanence, save for maybe airplanes.

          We reached the first set of locks about 8 a.m., and hoards of people were gathered on the top forward deck to see the gates open and the ship enter the first of two locks, the Miraflores. Here's a couple of shots:

selfie

approaching the miraflores locks

entering the first miraflores lock

Then sail a bit further to the Pedro Miguel Locks, which altogether raised the ship 60 feet. We then sailed into the Culebra Cut, arguably the most difficult section of the canal to be built. The channel had to blasted through mountains and was widened in the ‘70s to accommodate larger ships.

A leisurely sailing through Gatun Lake leads us to our next and final set of locks, the Gatun Locks, a series of three, that lowers the ship 28 feet in each lock, for a total of 84 feet.

We are in the first of three locks making up the Gatun. Way in the background is the Centennial Bridge, completed in 2004

Traversing this set of locks puts us level with our exit point at the Atlanta Ocean (well, more precisely, the Caribbean Sea). But in a matter of about 8 hours, we have gone from ocean to ocean, crossing the continental divide in the process. Old Teddy Roosevelt was a visionary to be sure, but I don’t think he could have envisioned the importance of the canal to world trade.

OK, backing up a little bit, here's scoop since the last blog post 11/29

Saturday 12/1/18 Day 3 of Panama Cruise

BRAND NEW MONTH!

Greetings from Cabo St. Lucas, Mexico, where we are anchored offshore and passengers are being tendered to the shore. I am opting to stay on board and enjoy the ship's amenities. The temperature is 81 degrees under mostly sunny skies. It is the third day of our cruise and our first port of call. I am listening to a mariachi band murdering the Eagles' "Hotel California." on the pool deck. Glenn Frey surely must be rolling in his grave.

Let's back up to Thursday Nov. 29. After boarding the ship, we got our dining time straightened out to a 5:30 time slot every day. A little early; we usually like to dine at 6:00, but that time slot was full, so this was the next best option. Certainly better than the 8 p.m. that Royal Caribbean had slotted for us. I had a delicious dinner of broiled tilapia and a chocolate lava cake for dessert. I redeemed an e-coupon stored on my Sail Pass for a BOGO on a glass of wine and went with an amusing little Chardonnay. Decaf coffee with the dessert. We ate with four other diners at a table for six, and the company was fun and lively. We couldn't do a turn on the promenade deck due to high winds and waves. Julie went to an 8:30 show which was little more than a "pre-show" of attractions to come. Somewhere around 7:30-8:00, I hit a wall of exhaustion and went to our cabin and crawled into bed.

Fri. Nov. 30 -- day at sea

Woke around 6:30, dressed, and Julie and I did a morning spin on the walk/jog track on Deck 10. A bit windy and cool but not bad. I did 15 minutes and Julie about doubled that. We rendezvoused at the Windjammer Cafe for breakfast. I had a plate of fresh fruit, a couple mini bran muffins for starts. Then, a couple of poached eggs, bacon and a slice of toast. From there to the solarium (covered pool, adults only) where I changed into my swimsuit and had my first wonderful soak in a hot tub since the surgery. I limited time to 15 minutes because I didn't quite know how my body would react, but all was fine with no light-headedness. I hung out at the Solarium most of the day, taking a break for a light lunch in the Windjammer. I finished two books, one a paperback edition of John D. MacDonald's "Nightmare in Pink," the other a Kindle edition of "The Job" a crime suspense by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, part of the Fox/O'Hare series. Both very good. Made a big salad for lunch, but cancelled most of that out with a dessert sampler platter. Took a nap in the afternoon after some additional reading. I awoke when (sis-in-law) Julie entered the cabin; time to get into our dinner garb. We dined with an entirely different group; same table, just different people. I can't remember all these names! I had shrimp cocktail, battered cod, and a chocolate cake for dessert. One of our tablemates received a comp bottle of champagne for her crown/anchor points. She was in her 80s and traveling alone, so she offered to share the bubbly and I was the only taker, so I drank free champagne throughout the meal. We did a turn on the promenade deck, then returned to the cabin to get into more comfortable duds. Around 8 p.m., we headed to the theater for a performance by "The Alley Cats," a do-wop a' Capella group. They put on a very good show; good music and some fun interaction with the audience. Checked out the casino afterward, but they have $10 table minimums. Too rich for my blood. We both hit the sack around 10 p.m. We had to move the clocks forward one hour to be in sync with local time upon our arrival to Cabo St. Lucas the next morning.

Saturday Dec. 1

No morning deck walk today ... too stiff. Direct to the 'Jammer for breakfast. It’s pretty much the same every morning:

·       * A plate of fresh fruit, 2 mini muffins;

·       * Second plate: 2 eggs in a variety of forms;

·       * One serving of breakfast meat consisting of sausage links, bacon, ham. (I tried the chicken sausage this morning and it sucks).

·       * One slice whole wheat toast with butter and jam; and

·       * Coffee.

We pulled into the Cabo St. Lucas harbor about 10 a.m. local time, and tenders began shuttling passengers about 11 a.m. Stayed on board. Had lunch of a hamburger with half bun, and a hot dog, no bun, with kraut. I am watching out the window of the Centrum Deck 5 at one of the tenders making its 3rd attempt to dock with the ship because the sea chop is heavy enough that the he keeps missing his mark! I am headed to the cabin for an afternoon nap.

Dinner tonight was batter fried cod with rice. Shrimp cocktail for appetizer and chocolate torte for dessert. All delicious. Show tonight was comedian Mark Cordus who appears to be in his 60s and a career comedian. Though I have never heard of him, he is very funny and had good rapport with the audience. Back to cabin and off to bed.

I would be less than honest if I didn't say that I was having some physical challenges getting up and down and around the ship, even with the use of the elevators. The Vision of the Seas is technically one of Royal's smaller ships, but it is still plenty big. Bugs me that I can't move with the deftness and speed of past cruises, but I just have to be patient.

Sunday Dec. 2

I don't know what was up last night, but I peed about a gallon overnight and seems I was up every hour. Either my heart is getting better or the Lasix taken in the morning had a delayed reaction. Hope it is the former! Anyway, I feel a little better today and seem to have a little more spring in my step.

No deck walk today, just off to the 'Jammer for the usual breakfast (see Dec. 1). Have pretty much set up a daily routine now of the following:

·       * Breakfast;

·        * Change into swimwear and hang out at the Solarium. Dip in the whirlpool, shower off, reading and play Wizard of Oz on the Kindle;

·       * Lunch in the Solarium of big salad, lemonade or tea, and a dessert sampler platter with coffee.

·       * Afternoon nap.

·       * 4 p.m. adult beverages and snacks in the Diamond Club lounge.

·       * Dinner at 5:30.

·       * Show at 8:30.

·       * Bed usually by 10 p.m.

There are some minor variations, but that’s pretty much it. Pretty sweet, eh? I must tell you about the Diamond Club receptions, having reached Diamond status in the Crown and Anchor loyalty program. Only took 10 years! But now I am eligible to attend a daily reception where beer, wine, and cocktails are complimentary, and there is a buffet line set up with nibbles, including chocolate covered strawberries. Booze is call brand, too, not just generic rail. This little bonanza runs until 8 p.m., so I can even have a Bailey’s Irish Cream after dinner. Julie is not yet Diamond, so I can’t get her in, but she’s not a booze drinker anyway so the Diamond Club bennies are kind of wasted on her. OK, I know my cardio team back home would be aghast, especially on the Bailey’s Irish Cream. But fuck ‘em. I’ve worked 10 years for this, and this is the only time I plan indulge save for the occasional beer or wine. So I’m gonna get my $20-$30 worth of booze, damnit!

Finished another novel, this time a Kindle e-novel called "Devolution," by author Brian K. Larson. I'll have to email my buddy Brian Larson in California and let him know someone is using his name! The novel was just OK, not great. He is obviously a conspiracy theorist, but some of his observations about how the US/world economy truly operates are spot on. Of course, the free book is "bait" designed to get you to buy the other 10-plus books in the series. But at least this installment was a self-contained story.

Today's port of call is Puerto Vallarta, and once again I am staying aboard ship, as much as to avoid spending money on junk I don't need, but equal parts conserving my energy. At least at this port, we pulled up right to the dock. Julie went ashore and joined hundreds other in visiting Walmart ... that's right a giant Walmart Superstore just a stone's throw from the ocean's edge.

Walmart in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

We rendezvoused for dinner in the Aquarius dining room. I had tenderloin of beef, broiled potato wedges and a lemon curd tart for dessert, complimented with a glass of Chardonnay with the meal and decaf coffee for dessert. All delicious.

We did a turn on the promenade deck, then headed to the Masquerade Theater to listen to the musical styling of Jimmy Hopper. Don't worry if you've never heard of him; I hadn’t either. But he was a show lounge act in Las Vegas for a 6-day engagement which turned into 6 years he was so well liked. He eventually got to hobnob with some of the Vegas elite, including Sir Elton John, who came to see his act. He was backed by the full Vision orchestra, and did some more unusual numbers (for a solo singer) including Bohemian Rhapsody, nailing the Freddy Mercury voice to a tee. He also did a fine version of "The Prayer" ala Andre Boccelli. So he had quite the range. And quite the spikey hairdo, tats, and plastic surgery. Julie bought one of his CDs after the show and got him to sign it. Off to bed after this.

Jimmy Hopper

Monday Dec. 3

Had a much more restful sleep last night; no hourly peeing. Legs still puffy, however. Today is a sea day as we steam toward our next port of call. Up to the 'Jammer for my usual breakfast (see Dec. 1) Off to the solarium for a soak and reading the last novel I loaded onto my Kindle, an action sci-fi set in outer space as countries race to be the first to claim a new alien technology that cures all diseases. Should be a quick read. Sea bass for dinner tonight. A portion so small that I had to order a slab of prime rib on top of that. Brownie nuggets atop chocolate mousse for dessert. So much for a sensible dinner, at least for this evening! Tonight’s entertainment was violinist Gary Lovini backed up by the RC orchestra. Very entertaining. Julie and I have seen him before on a previous cruise, but he has added some new numbers to his repertoire.

Tuesday Dec. 4

Time change last night – one hour forward. Up to the ‘Jammer, and did something different today: a waffle topped with yogurt, sweetened strawberries, sliced banana, and granola. A couple slices of ham to balance off the sweet. All very good, but think I’ll go back to my regular. Off to the Solarium for a hot tub dip and then some reading. I finished the outer space sci fi, and am reading a paperback novel – My Nerdy Valentine -- that Julie brought along. It’s a sort of R-rated suspense thriller with some sex thrown in.

Tonight’s entertainment is a comedy duo. They are African American hipsters that I fear are a little too ethnic for the Caucasian demographics aboard the ship. They had their moments, but much of the material came a little too rapid fire for most folks, including me at times. 

=====================

OK, that's it for now. We depart Cartegena 8:30 tonight, our last port of call before heading to New Orleans. I'll check back with you all then when we check into the Hampton Inn.

Love,

Bruce

Panama Canal Cruise/winter hiatus 2018-2019

Cruise ship departure day!

Greetings from the Crowne Plaza Hotel San Pedro/Long Beach, California.

(Sis in law) Julie and I just finished our buffet breakfast after a much-needed night's sleep.  Shuttles to Royal Caribbean's "Vision of the Seas" start at 10 a.m. and leave every half hour until 1 p.m. Outside, it is 63 and raining/sprinkling, the latter a rare event here ("It never rains in Southern California"). It will make for a gloomy sendoff from port, but that is OK.

Our journey began yesterday (11/28) with an 8 a.m. bus Van Galder bus ride to O'Hare airport. Arriving at 10 a.m., we checked a bag apiece ($30 each), cleared security and got to our gate no problems. The flight aboard American Airlines #2744 direct to LAX was booked solid. J and I each had window seats on opposite sides of the cabin. We arrived LAX 2:30 local time, about half hour late. We claimed our bags and headed to the Uber pickup point, where "Jose" was waiting for us in a blue Chevy Tahoe. With heavy traffic on the I-105, it took near an hour for the 22-mile journey. We checked in to the Crowne Plaza and found our room to be all in order. We got unpacked and then headed for the hotel restaurant where they had an abbreviated menu. I went for the top sirloin steak dinner while Julie opted for a cheeseburger. I also had a Makers Mark Manhattan to calm the nerves and soothe the aches and pains from the day's travels. Everything was good, even surprisingly good considering we're talking hotel food.

We hit the sack about 9 p.m., which was 11 p.m. back home. We both fell asleep pretty quickly, though I was up 3-4 times to pee because I had taken a water pill upon arrival here. Despite wearing Ted stockings on the flight, my lower legs swelled to the size of deli bolognas. (They are back to normal size now.) I have new meds for this trip with my recent heart surgery which most of you know about. It will be interesting to see how it goes.

We got up around 6 a.m. local time, showered, and went downstairs for our included buffet breakfast. The fresh fruit was outstanding. The chaffing dish stuff was its usual mediocre, but will do fine until we reach better fare aboard the ship. We are back in our room where I am finishing up this blog entry and Julie is reading a book on her new Amazon Kindle. I am in the middle of John D. MacDonald's "Nightmare in Pink," the only physical book I brought with me. The rest are on Kindle.

Hope all is well with every one. We are anxious to get aboard the ship and begin a leisurely vacation.

Love,

Bruce

Dinner Out With Friend Stan

Friday 7/20

Chilling out today. Breakfast at house. I have very little to set up besides books, so I don't need to go to Utz Center for table setup. Instead I go to NAWCC gift shop and ask manager Abby if I can borrow a couple of vertical book stands to display my books, and she lends them to me. She is one of the sweetest persons at NAWCC, and I really should send her an amazon gift card when I get back.

From there, I cross the old Highway 30 bridge over the Susquehanna River to Wrightsville and return to the Wrightsville Inn for another pile of crab meat, this time with fries, cabbage slaw, and a Yuengling beer. All delicious. The tab comes to $30, and worth every penny. Now, back to the house and do a little computer work and take a nap. I get a call from buddy Stan Czubernat about 4 p.m., who has flown into Baltimore from Houston, and has done a little watch sniffing down at the Utz Center. He is now ready to check into the Comforrt Inn and wants to know if I have found us a place for he and I to have a nice steak dinner.

Of course I have! The Roosevelt Tavern, just a short way from his hotel. Highly rated in Yelp and Tripadvisor. A bit spendy, but I know Stan doesn't mind blowing a little coin if the food is good. I shower and shave and take the three mile drive to his hotel. He greets me and I give him a complimentary copy of my new Elgin book because he has helped me with it. He says, "Come up to my room; I have something really cool I want to show you." It is a Gallet brand man's wristwatch. The date on the reverse side of the dial is 11/94, seeming to indicate 1894 date of manufacture. Stan has found a mention in an obscure Wiki-journal that says Gallet made "bracelet watches" for members of the European Mounted Infantry in this year, but none has ever surfaced. If this pans out, Stan will have found the earliest known example of a man's wristwatch. The record now is held by Omega, which is confirmed to have made a man's wristwatch in 1903. There are still some things to confirm, but barring any snafus, Stan will rewrite the history book on men's wristwatches. The band on this watch indeed appears original; it is sewn right on to the watch. It is fragile, but it's all there including the buckle. This is indeed very exciting, and Stan has contacted the Gallet company, and they are very anxious to cooperate with Stan's research and help in any way they can from their Swiss archives.

We take my car to the Roosevelt Tavern. They are moderately busy for a Friday night, so I am glad I made our 6 p.m. reservation. They have two steaks on the menu, a filet mignon at $33, and a 28-day dry age prime NY strip steak for $40. Stan goes for the NY strip. I'm a little timid on the whole "aging" thing, so I go for the filet. Stan goes for appetizers because he says he's on the edge of being "hangry," which is a combination of hungry to the point of angry. The waiter brings bread and butter, and I snag one of the shrimp off the cocktail. Our entrees arrive, and Stan and I exchange beef bites and I could have indeed ordered that strip steak, but the filet is dreamy also. It's served with mashed potatoes and roasted baby carrots. Stan skips dessert, but I order an orange pound cake, grilled in butter and drizzled with Gran Marnier, served with a scoop of orange sorbet made from freshly squeezed orange juice. Cup of decaf. All delicious. Tab is $110 plus $22 tip, and Stan won't let me contribute a penny. Says his business of WWI Trench watches is doing very well, and he needs tax deductions.

I get Stan back to his hotel by 8 p.m. and he has been up since 2 a.m. and says he is hitting the rack. I drive back to the house, do a Seinfeld immersion for about an hour, and hit the bed myself. It's going to be a busy Saturday, the day of the Mart. This is where I will make (or not make!) my money to put toward this trip!

Bruce

A Busy Day at the Convention

7/19/2018 Day 3

Started the morning off with a cheese omelet, two pieces of peanut butter toast, and coffee. Wrote the blog and put out a couple fires with eBay bidders, then off to lunch in York. I again chose the "Around the Clock Diner," because it has good food at reasonable prices. I sat at the counter. I chose the "Around the Clock Sandwich Melt," which consists of turkey, bacon, cheese, and tomato on grilled seeded rye. Chose a cup of chicken corn chowder as my side, and a Diet Pepsi. All delicious. I had a spritely, cheery waitress named Karen. At one point, I overheard her tell another waitress she was going home to take a shower and rest for a little while before coming in for another shift.

So I said to her, "Karen, honey, before you go home, would you top off my Diet Pepsi?"

"Oh, sure," she replied. "I'm not going home right away."

"OK," I said, "but when you leave, would you please tell me, because I have abandonment issues."

She looked at me kind of funny for a few seconds, and then we both started to laugh.

Funny little exchange. She looks like a career waitress, but I seriously doubt she's heard that wisecrack from a customer before.

Anyway, the bill came to $12, and I left a $2.40 tip which I hope Karen will get, because she had indeed left by then.

The World Wide Traders (WWT) show was on its second and final day in York, and I ultimately decided not to go, because I couldn't get any information from the web or the phone on what the fee was to get in. I'm really not here to buy anything except for one watch that is being shown to me by a client at the NAWCC Mart at the Utz Center on Saturday. But I figured if the entry fee was cheap enough for NAWCC members on the final day, I'd breeze in and take a look around. I also have a few friends in the WWT. Oh well, no big loss. I got onto U.S. Highway 30 East and headed for Columbia to NAWCC HQ, where festivities would be underway in about an hour.

I attended one lecture on chronograph watches, but had to leave early because the auditorium was so beastly hot/stuffy I couldn't stand it. I think the AC in the building was pushed beyond capacity because so many people were in the building picking up registration packets and milling about.  One of panelists leading the lecture was John Cote. The basics of the lecture were that chronographs (basically wristwatches with stopwatches built into them) were originally intended as scientific instruments for either working people, or specific sporting people (motoring, track and field) who needed a device to measure time and/or a device to easily convert time into speed, or time into distance. They were inexpensive, priced for the working man (or woman). A few were cased in gold for physicians and people of similar wealth, but most were cased in base metal (either stainless steel, or chrome-plated, or a combination chrome bezel, stainless steel back.)

It is only recently that chronographs have become a fashion statement, especially for the rich, which has led to an exponential jump in price, especially the "sport" chronographs by Heuer, Rolex, Breitling, Omega, and so forth. The trend is likely to continue, and high prices have led to counterfeiting, swapping parts, laser engraving to put different brand names on movements, and so forth. All of which translates into buyers needing to use extra caution, and buying only from known suppliers  with good reputations in the business. And even then, you are not assured of getting the watch that you paid for. It is fairly well known, for example, that a famous and established auction house back in 2007 sold a fake Omega Seamaster model 300, and refused to to publicly admit it when experts around world pointed out to the auction house that it was a fake. We collectors can only assume the lot was discreetly removed on the day of bidding. Technically, the watch was not a chronograph, but I bring it up to illustrate that when graduating to high-end watches costing $10K and above (or even lower in some instances), buyers must REALLY know what they are doing and/or enlist the help of a trusted expert.

After the lecture, Cote led the group into the NAWCC museum to show off its chronograph exhibit, so I joined the group at that point and got to ask John several questions. All very enlightening.

Next was a reception outside for people who had registered to attend. This was a catered affair with several buffet lines set up with meats (beef brisket, chicken breasts) which you could have with or without bun, baked beans, salads, fruits, desserts, and soft drinks. The event must have had one or more sponsors, because the cost of attending was only $5. I ate light because friends Nancy and Al told me they were taking me to dinner after the day's festivities. I had a beef brisket sandwich, fruit, brownie, and lemonade. Then found a table in the shade and sat on one of those flimsy folding chairs that caterers love to use. Had good conversations with table mates, including Steven Humphrey, who retired as executive director just prior to the new director, Tom Wilcox, taking over. I also had a nice chat with Jarett and Deena Harkness of Spring, Texas. Jarett took over the Hamilton Electric watch repair business from Rene Rondeau, and is doing well and is establishing himself as a fine human being. He sells watches on his website (Ham electrics and mechanical wathes) and also buys and sells at shows such as this one. Wife Deena is leaving her nine-to-five job job to work full time with Jarett, and the first thing she is doing is updating the company website, unwindintime.com.  I have purchased several watches from him.

Next up was the re-dedication of the Library and Research Center in honor of Fortunat Mueller-Maerki, who has been the library's major benefactor over the past 30 years. He has donated literally tens of thousands of dollars' worth of books to the library over the years. He has written reviews for hundreds of books for the NAWCC's educational journal, including a couple of my books. While he resides in Austria, he is most often on the road both in America and Europe keeping up relations with his scores of contacts, which include watch company executives, museum curators, leaders in horological academia, and so forth. Despite his standing, he is one of the most friendly and approachable people you will meet. While he loves watches (pocket and wrist), his true passion is clocks, especially large tower and street clocks. And if you get him talking about clocks, your bladder better be empty, because you are in for a long talk. Anyway, Fortunat brought his family with him for the unveiling of the renamed Fortunat Mueller-Maerki Library and Research Center, and it was very touching. I hold a special place in my heart for this event, because I have used the library and research center at least a dozen times in the last 20 years, sometimes staying the Columbia, Pa., area for a week at a time. There is no doubt that I owe a debt of gratitude to this gentleman. I know personally that the NAWCC budgets the Library a pittance (one year, $200) annually for new acquisitions because they know Fortunat will be bringing in boxes of books, ranging from the newly published to antiquarian. But for Fortunat's generosity, the library would be a shadow of what it is.

After the ceremony, I met up with friends Nancy and Al, and a couple of other guests, at the Wrightsville, Inn. I have already explained in a previous blog entry the highlight of that evening for me, but now I will tell you about the food and drink, which ran a close second to the thrill of holding half a million dollars worth of watches in my hand and examining them up close. To drink, I had a couple of Shock Top beers, one at the bar before my fellow diners arrived, and one at the dinner table. The featured item on the menu is the "Colossal Lump Crab Cake" for $23.95. To call it a "cake" is really an injustice. It was a giant fist-sized heap of crab meat chunks fiddled from fresh hardshell crab out of the Chesapeake Bay. They must have to fiddle a dozen crabs to get this much meat. What's holding it together is just a little bit of mayonnaise, and of course they season with a little bit of Old Bay seasoning. It can only be prepared broiled on a metal steak platter; it cannot be breaded or battered and then deep fried. And thank god for that, because it would ruin the delicate flavor the crab. I think it will be a long time before I'm able to settle for something inferior to this! The side items I had were a tossed salad and cabbage slaw, and they were certainly acceptable, but the shining star of the meal was the crab meat pile!

We adjourned the dinner at 9 p.m., which is the restaurant's closing time. The drive back to the airbnb was challenging in the dark; thank goodness for Google maps and my smart phone. How in the world did we ever survive before these two modern conveniences?

I arrived back at the house utterly exhausted. I certainly cannot hold up to a full day's standing, walking (car was parked a quarter mile from NAWCC HQ on a steep hill), conversing and sometimes glad handing with peers, etc., like I used to. Definitely time to lose some weight and get in better shape when I get back home!

Bruce

Ultra High-Grade Watches from the Isle of Man

Thursday, July 19

Wow, a completely awesome and exhausting day today. It concluded with a dinner at the Wrightsville Inn on the waterfront of the Susquehanna River where I had the most delicious crab cakes of my life. But I must dispense with this for now and devote this blog entry to the company I was with and the two museum-grade quality watches I got to hold in my hands and examine.

Our party consisted of myself; friends Nancy Dyer and Al Dodson; Frank Delgreco (former board chairman of NAWCC); and a collector that I'll simply call "John" for privacy reasons. I have never met John before; however I was introduced to him today by Nancy. To look at John, you wouldn't guess that he collects some of the finest handmade watches in the world. He dresses plainly, and walks around with a rather tattered canvas valise from a well known maker of slightly upscale clothing and accessories. But at most any given time, he carries with him usually two ultra high grade watches with him that he shows to people he judges to be aficionados of ultra-high quality watches, made by hand, by individuals who typical make watches at the rate of about 10 pieces per year. And I was lucky enough last night to be judged one of those persons.

After our meal, John lovingly removed from his canvas valise two watches -- one wrist and one pocket -- made by Roger Smith. You won't find Roger Smith watches at Saks Fifth Avenue, or even Tiffany's or Cartier. To call Smith a "watchmaker" is actually doing him a disservice. A "watchmaker" is typically someone who fixes watches. Smith is in a rarefied breed known as a watch builder, one who builds a mechanical timepiece from scratch. Smith apprenticed under George Daniels, considered by many to be the finest builder of watches of the 20th century. Daniels passed away in 2011, but not before convincing Smith to take over his practice on the Isle of Man.

To own a Roger Smith watch, you must contact Smith at his workshop. To get to the Isle of Man is a bit like getting to Hogwarts. No, you don't have to find the secret passageway at a London train station. But you have to get to the island, located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland, either by boat ferry or airplane. Next, you need to convince Smith you are worthy to own one of his watches. After putting down a considerable deposit, you must then wait five years (sometimes more) for the completion of your order. You may order certain custom detailing to make the watch singularly yours, but this builder of watches makes about 10 "standard" models. Not that there is anything standard about them, but Smith does specialize in a certain type of watch, namely turbillon watches (pronounced TUR be yon). The turbillon was invented around 1795 and compensates for the earth's gravitational pull so that the timepiece keeps better time, especially when the watch is oriented in a certain position (stem up, stem side, stem down) for a long period of time, such as being kept in a vest pocket, or laying on a dresser, or whatever.

Today, a $5 quartz watch from Walmart will keep 10 times better time than a tourbillon, but it was an amazing feat of mechanical engineering for its time. And watch builders like Smith and even mass-quantity watch manufacturers like Patek Philippe and Vacheron & Constantin continue to make them to this day because the mechanism is so fucking elegant. It is hard to describe the experience of looking at a turbillon balance under magnification (such a jeweler's loupe), but it is like something out of Harry Potter or Jules Verne. The oscillating balance wheel, encased inside a tiny cage, appears to "float" in a circular motion around a central pivot point, mimicking the earth's daily rotation, and thereby negating or at least reducing the effect of gravity upon the accuracy of the entire watch movement, which is ultimately dependent on the consistency of the balance wheel's oscillations. Here is a short (1.5 minute) youtube video of a turbillon movement in motion:

watch video

As you see in the video, most turbillon watches employ the use of an exhibition front or back (or both) made of glass or clear sapphire crystal so the owner can see the action of the turbillon and show to other people.

In any event, if you're not asleep by now, I got to hold both of these watches in my hand and examine them under loupe. It's not every day I get to hold a museum-quality timepiece in my hand. The story of how John came to own these pieces is a long one, and I won't go into it. How much they cost was never brought up at the dinner. But I would say that a wristwatch of this quality is well into the five figures (tens of thousands of dollars) and a pocket watch of this caliber, with multiple calendar functions, is comfortably into the six figures. Both of John's are cased in solid 18kt gold, but the cases are almost an afterthought compared to the movements. I will say that Smith sold the watches to "John" at favorable terms, but with the stipulation that "John" not put the watches in a bank vault, but rather carry them, wear them (the pocket watch weighs easily 8 ounces) and show them to interested persons, and explain the time and effort that went into building them. The watches have been through airport screenings multiple times, with reactions from TSA agents ranging from "Oh my God, that's the most beautiful mechanical object I've ever seen" to "Why don't you just buy a $10 Timex at Walmart."

So that is all for this blog entry. I will tell you about other events of the day, including food consumed, in a separate blog entry.

Bruce

Convention days 2 and 3

My host, Kayla, took off yesterday (7/18) at 4:30 p.m. for a long weekend in Ocean City, Md., so I have the whole house to myself for the remainder of my stay. Sweeeet! A terrific bargain for $50 a night on airbnb.com.

For breakfast this morning, I had a leftover crabcake from dinner last night. Flattened and lightly pan seared it on both side. Soft-poached a couple of eggs and put them over the cake. Then topped with a "Hollandaise sauce" made from leftover cream of crab soup from yesterday's lunch. Incredibly delicious.

May not look very appetizing, but I assure you it was scrumptious.

To back up, I had a productive day after I left off with the yesterday's blog entry. I wrote and distributed the July newsletter to my Rockford watch club constituents. Kayla had a coworker here to work on a joint project. They both work for a company that deals in medical IT (information technology) and they both work from home, but today they were working together here on a project. We were all on our computers, so it was like a home version of Starbucks.

At around 12:30, I drove to downtown Manchester (blink and you'll miss it) to a restaurant called Bobcat Creamery. This place is neat on a couple of levels. First, the food was good and portions were generous. I had a steak sandwich on pretzel roll, and a generous cup of creamy crab soup, $11. Second, it is run by a board of directors comprised chiefly of kids from area high schools, many of whom also work at the restaurant. The kids work under the direction of the restaurant owners, but they get to participate in many of business decisions. This as a community project and it seems to have been warmly received by area schools and local leaders. I reviewed in Tripadvisor here if you want to read.

I returned to the house and fiddled on the computer a while longer, then took a nap. At around 6:15 p.m., I drove to the Wingate motel in York to hook up with a watch buddy, Keith Yarbrough, from Dalton, Ga., for dinner and watch talk. His wife, Sheila, joined us, and we drove to the "Around the Clock Diner" which is on U.S. Highway 30, also called Arsenal Road as it passes through York. I had the 2-cake portion of the broiled crabcakes, with potato salad and 4-bean salad as my sides. I saved one of the cakes for breakfast this a.m. I had Boston cream pie and coffee for dessert. All very yummy, and Keith picked up the tab while I kicked in the gratuity. It was all delicious, and the crabcakes were made with lump crab, not the cheaper stringy snow crab.

The company was delightful. Keith and Sheila just celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. They stayed at the Milton Hershey Hotel prior to coming here. They told me all about the hotel/spa/resort, and I'll have to put it on my list of places to go. I've been to Hershey before, and "Hershyland," but never to the hotel. Sheila had never been to this part of the country, so she decided to join Keith for the annual convention here. Keith is one those guys I know that I wish were closer to me than Dalton, Ga. He is not only a knowledgeable watch enthusiast, but just a fine, well rounded human being. I think we could almost have a mentor/apprenticeship type of relationship but for the distance between us. We just "click." Keith is thinking of retiring from 28 years with an insurance company and was asking my advice about the various facets of retirement based on my experience with it since leaving my last "real" job in 1991. Anyway, we were at the restaurant almost two hours, and the time flew by.

Got back to the house around 9 p.m. Kayla offered me the garage for the Malibu for the duration of my stay, but the car wouldn't fit lengthwise into the garage because she has stuff taking up room in the front of the garage. She has a compact car, so it fits. But no on the Malibu, so I parked it in the driveway.

I watched a couple of Seinfeld episodes, then went to bed.

Today, I have goings-on at NAWCC HQ, including picking up my registration packet starting at 1 p.m. There is a museum tour 4 to 4:45 p.m. in which I want to participate, focusing on early wrist chronographs. Then a reception in the atrium 4:45 to 6 p.m. which I have paid the whopping sum of $5 to attend. I think it has corporate sponsorship, so there will likely be a commercial in there somewhere. Then at 6:30, the association's Library and Research Center is being renamed in honor of a benefactor (living) who has probably donated in the tens of thousands of dollars in acquisitions and various projects to the library over the last 20 years. There will be speeches and presentations and what not. After that, friends Nancy Dyer and partner Al Dodson and I are off to a crabhouse in Wrightsville for a late dinner. (The dedication is scheduled to go until 8 p.m.)

So that brings you all up to date. Having a nice time here so far.

Bruce

Pennsylvania convention, days 1 and 2

Dear family and friends:

I am here at my airbnb house, hosted by "Kayla", as accommodations during my attendance at the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (NAWCC) annual convention, this year a 75th anniversary gala. The convention is being held in York, PA., and I am here in Manchester, midway (sort of) between York and NAWCC HQ in Columbia.

Tuesday July 17

I arrived in H'burg, PA, yesterday about 11:30 a.m. local time aboard one of American Airlines' commuter planes. We all had to check our carry on bag at the gate because there wasn't enough room in the overheads for anything besides our personal item. This they did for free. We hit a patch of turbulence approaching H'burg so violent that it lifted everyone off their seat. Had I not been belted in, I'm sure I would have been lifted high enough to hit my head on the overhead panel. There were even a couple of shrieks from the female passengers. I have never experienced a jolt on an airplane of that level before. So I guess there is a reason the airlines tell you to buckle up when seated.

The H'burg's airport is nice, similar in size to Madison. Budget car rental upgraded me to a midsize -- a Chevy Malibu -- at no extra charge. I left the airport, and within a half hour was sitting in a booth a Hinkle's luncheonette in downtown Columbia. I have been here many times in all my trips to Columbia since 1999. Hinkles has been a mainstay of Columbia for 125 years, and was a pharmacy/luncheonette up until a couple years ago. But changing times forced the then-owners to close, and fortunately someone bought it at the last minute, but did away with the pharmacy and is turning the whole place into a restaurant. Good, old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch style food with sides like pickled beets and "filling," which is the Pa.-Dutch term for stuffing. I had a hamburger steak smothered with onions, and cabbage slaw and sweet potato patties for sides, rolls with butter, and a Diet Coke.

Those are sweet potato patties on the left side of the plate

Then I went to NAWCC HQ in Columbia, and picked up books that I had shipped there to sell at the convention. Gift shop manager Abby was very accommodating in accepting the books and holding them for me for my arrival so that I did not have to cart them on the airplane. One of the books is just off the press, a collector's guide to Elgin wristwatches that I started working on back in January while still in Florida.

From there, I stopped to see friend Nancy Dyer who, along with significant other Al Dodson, lives on the 2nd floor of an 1800s row house in Columbia's historic district. Nancy was NAWCC's library archivist up until 2017 when she retired, and was of incredible help to me in my numerous writing projects for the Association, and for the Hamilton book which I published in 2016. We chatted for about an hour, and made plans to go to dinner Thursday night to a crab house in Wrightsville, just across the Susquehanna River from Columbia.

Next, I made a 20-minute drive to Manchester to set up house at Kayla's place. The 20-something Kayla owns this tidy 3-bedroom, 2-story, half of a duplex, probably built some time in the mid-'80s. There's not much to Manchester, likely a bedroom community of York/Harrisburg. Kayla went over everything with me regarding bedroom, bathroom, kitchen layout, TVs and remotes, etc. She had even purchased groceries which I had requested ahead of time for making breakfasts here: bread, eggs, milk, cereal, cheese, butter, peanut butter, and coffee. I reimbursed her for those items, $16.83, gave her a twenty and told her to keep the change, and now I am set for breakfasts. 

It was 4 p.m. by then, and I had been up 13 hours, so I retired to my room and took a nap. I have a nice bedroom with double bed, four pillows (!), dresser, side table, and a mini-fridge, which Kayla has stocked with bottled water. When I awoke around 6 p.m., Kayla was gone (dinner with her mom), so I had the place to myself and decided to cook a light dinner here of cheese omelet, toast with peanut butter, and Starbucks coffee from a lookalike Keurig coffee maker. I cleaned up dishes, then settled to watch a couple of Family Guy and Seinfeld episodes on Hulu on Kayla's complicated TV which has three remote controls.

Kayla got back around 9:30, and I took my leave and headed upstairs to bed. 

Wednesday July 18

Up around 7 a.m. Another cheese omelet and PB toast, coffee, for breakfast. Kayla was up around 8:45. No breakfast for her. She immediately went to work with "Tony" who arrived at the house around the same time. They are coworkers, they work in the medical IT field, mostly from their separate homes, but today are working on a joint project out of Kayla's place. Kayla tells me that as of 4:30 today, she is leaving on a trip to Ocean City, MD, and that I will have the whole place to myself for the remainder of my stay, through Sunday morning. That will be awesome.

I have the day off, so not quite sure what I will do. I have a newsletter due for my Rockford Watch Club, so will probably work on that, and maybe explore the area for food. Convention activities start on Thursday, and the big selling day at the convention center is Saturday.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is well.

Bruce