A Birthday Adventure

 “Since there is no Spanish equivalent for Wayne, we’ll call you Ber-nar-do,” my 7^th grade Spanish teacher informed me. 

“Can you use my Hebrew name?” I timidly asked.  “It is Zev, which means wolf.”

“Yes.  We can call you Lobo.”

Over time, Lobo became the more familiar Lobes, which some people still call me to this day.  Oh, in case you were wondering my full Hebrew name is Zev (Wolf) Baruch (Blessed).

Why do I bring this up now?

This past weekend, we celebrated my birthday.  The one activity planned would be an appropriate CDC compliant, socially distanced, masked event.  Debbie and the girls planned a trip to the Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbus, NJ, located near the Delaware Water Gap.  This was a place that we had talked about going to a number of years ago, but never made it.  Finally, after many years, we were going.  We woke up Sunday morning, I put on a black tee shirt with a wolf’s face on the front and was ready for the adventure ahead.  Rain or no rain, we were going!

As we drove towards the Preserve, we took note that this area of New Jersey has some hills and lots of tree growth, so much so that that we commented how we no longer felt like we were still in the same state.  When we got there, we waited patiently for the shuttle to brings us through the woods to the site.  Bouncing up the “hill”, we rounded the last corner to see the large fenced in area.  With excitement, the four of us walked up towards the fence, waiting to see if we could spot a wolf.  We were extremely excited when we saw a wolf laying down in the distance!  Images of a large wolf danced in my head, like the wolves of folk legend, most of us have come to know wolves from the stories we read or the movies we saw.  Finally, one wolf came up to the fence – the small group we were part of were all pointing their fingers, oohing and ah-ing at seeing this wild creature in front of us…and then it lifted its hind leg, as if to say “Back up, you’re close enough.”  OK, some of the mystic faded as this male wolf did what was natural to him.

Finally, the time came where we went into the fenced area, led by the owner, who provided some great information about the wolves on his preserve, maintaining the population, legal requirements (permits, inspections) and his clear love for his “children.”  We had the chance to see wolves in their natural habitat.  And then came the awesome moment, where off in the distance, his wife called out to the wolves and they all began to howl.  Then the owner was off to feed the wolves and maintain the area.  Our next stop was to a side area where his wife (who also was our shuttle driver) taught us about Bobcats and Lynx (I did not know they were from the area) and a little about foxes from inside their enclosed areas. 

This was truly a great experience.  We often take for granted the larger world we live in and the creature that we live alongside.  While we are currently at the top of the food chain, we should take the time to appreciate all that inhabit the earth, learn about them to debunk falsehoods and understand what their roles in our global ecosystem means.  Bec has been pressing me for my favorite animal.  My answer has been, “My favorite pet is a dog,” to which she immediately counters, “that does not answer the question.”  I guess the answer might be wolves…after all, I was given the name Zev Baruch…

Oh, No - The Time Has Come

As I was putting the touches on last week’s blog, I realized the posting date: March 5^th.  It seems ironic that as I am writing about marking time, the date posting is significant in Debbie and my life.  As of this date, March 5th, my children are no longer children!  Both of my children have officially crossed the threshold into young adulthood.  Our baby is a baby no more!  A year ago, Bec did not embrace the age of 20, where, in her words, she became a somebody.  But turning 21, she could not be more excited!  Legally, there are different ages that come with different steps towards this status (i.e., driving age, voting age, etc.).  21 is just a special age for young adults.

The funny thing, my mom always said to my brothers and I that no matter how old we got, we would still be her babies.  We used to laugh – we were no longer babies.  Now as an adult, with two kids of my own, I can finally understand and appreciate her words.  My little girls (and yes, they still know how to act like little girls when they want something) are young adults venturing forth in the world, so they are no longer children.  They have ideas and thoughts for themselves and their potential futures, so they are no longer children.  They are no longer living full time in our house, so they are no longer children.  Do I sometimes wish that they were younger and we could have the same great fun together?  Of course!  However, I do love spending this time with them as they are today, because, in reality, the only time I can spend with them is now. 

I guess that my parents’ words to me were true; that you do not see yourself growing older, but you see how old you have become by watching your children grow up.  While celebrating my brother’s birthday, we looked, acted and behaved as we always have.  We are aging at the same rate, facing similar age related things.  When we are with our girls, we can clearly see the different phases in their lives.  With each phase means that we also have also moved onto a new phase.  As they grow and mature, we realize we also have grown (I cannot, as always, comment on my own maturity levels).

So, we can raise the virtual glass and toast Bec and the age of 21!  Here’s to a great year, a year of firsts and a year of new adventures and experiences.  As always, I look forward to the wonderful things that comes next…

The Marking of Time

“Your baby brother turned 50,” my cousin recently remarked and “how old I must feel”.  Nope, I do not feel old, nor do either of us act older.  In fact, both of my brothers and I, and a brother from another mother, had the opportunity to celebrate the ringing in of the second half of the century.  I do not remember what we did when my dad turned 50 (I would have been 22).  I do not think it included being away together, enjoying some music and “eating and drinking like kings” in 80-degree weather.  As far as I am concerned, my journey…our journey through life is hardly nearing the end cycle, as there is still more to see, do and experience.

One would think that the easy way, at this juncture in life, is to start to plan for winding down, do the things that are safe and comfortable, and “reaping the seeds that we have sown.”  F that sh*t, man!  While I am still able, capable and have the energy, I am still taking the steps that Lao Tzu stated in the famous quote, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  I still believe in trying new things, working towards getting out of the circles that define us, and erasing the “ruts” in our lives.  We recently finished watching the two seasons of “Better Late Than Never” with Henry Winkler (b. 1945), George Foreman (b. 1949), Terry Bradshaw (b. 1948) and William Shatner (b. 1931).  The cool thing is that these guys, at their age (along with the comparatively young Jeff Dye), are willing to have new adventures, to travel to places they have never been and to experience new (and sometimes unusual) things.  A “reality show” that truly is inspiring.

At this point in my life, I travel to and from the airport by car – it is what I have always done and is comfortable.  For my brother’s birthday celebration, it would mean going from work to Florida, then being back in the office Monday morning; a quick adventure.  I decided to do something different for me – for the first time, I traveled from work to the airport by train.  By getting out of my routine and making this happen, the payoff was going to see the greatest living banjo player (according to ranker.com, behind the legendary Earl Scruggs), Bela Fleck, with his talented band the Flecktones.  This was followed by an evening of birthday celebrations.  The next day, we got to surprise my Dad (not an easy thing to do) to a wonderful dinner.  Another great night before the next day when we had a great lunch eating like Neanderthals at Joe’s Crab Shack before each of us starting to head home.

We are busy all the time, I get it.  But we need to sometimes step back and enjoy the adventures before us.  It is all about the journey, and in having multifaceted lives, the journeys can come from different directions.  We are never too old to step outside the circles that we draw around us.  So, for my brother, traveling along his journey of a thousand miles, his birthday was merely a mile marker along the path, a place to pause, a stop along the way.  One can look back and marvel at where they have come, or more importantly, look forward to the horizon and continue the epic journey that lays ahead, towards new experiences and adventures.

I Still Like Having a Birthday

A friend recently joked, “My next birthday I can move into an adult community…”  I laughed, because in my mind an adult community is where my dad lives in Florida.  Then I stopped laughing.  The person I was talking to is all of one week older than I am.  You know the communities that he was talking about…they go by such names as “55 and older” or “active retirement.”  Hold on – I am not one of them!  I am not thinking about retirement; I am not thinking about an “older” community, I am not that old!  Or, am I? 

Let me see…it might be time to take stock of some facts:

• My kids are still kids – no, they are young adults
• I have many more years of work – truth is, using the 32 years since I graduated college, means if this is the midpoint, I will be working until 87 (if so, hoping not out of necessity).
• My years in the workforce are greater than the age of some of the people they hire at work.
• I still have a lot of energy – yeah, one thing going for me
• I still live an active (non-retirement) lifestyle

OK - I have to face the truth that this week I turn 55!  While I am thinking these thoughts, another friend recently commented on how he is beginning a plan to move towards retirement.  I cannot even imagine a time where I no longer get up and go to work.  For me, thinking about retirement would mean not only planning financially (i.e., some type of residual income), but also what I would do to fill my days.  I am neither the person who is fascinated with sitting on a front porch watching the grass grow nor that person sitting in front of the TV.  Fact is, there once was a day when retirement age was 65 (only 10 years away), or 62 for “early” retirement.  I might not think like a millennial, but I still have things to accomplish, goals to achieve, places to visit, adventures to experience and learning to do.

I am, however, at the point where deep down, it would be nice to one day reach the point when money is no object, I can travel when I want, volunteer when and where I want, be an inspiration to my descendants, help others and continue to live a meaningful life.  In truth, as I get older, I still want to make that childhood desire to live to be 100.  Over the last couple of years, I have changed some aspects of my life to be healthier, which should give me more time on this planet. 

So then, what will I do for my birthday / what is my goal for the upcoming year?  My goal, on this birthday, is to learn a new instrument, which I just purchased – the banjo (see picture).  This is an instrument I have always been curious about (the other instrument is the harp, but too big) and decided after being in Nashville that is it was time to give it a go.  While I can play a little bit on the guitar and read music, this 5-string instrument is not played like a guitar and has its own way of music writing method.  It will be fun posting updates (and easier on the eyes than my fitness updates were) during the next year.  Maybe, just maybe, instead of shocking your eyes, I can thrill your ears!

The Pizza Tour

Last weekend, for Bec’s birthday, we went on a pizza tour, where we walked about a mile and a half and sampled three different types of pizza from three different, well-known New York City pizzerias.  Why go on a pizza tour?  Simply, because it is a food that we both enjoy.  The working definition for the tour was that pizza is dough, sauce and cheese (and a cooking source).  Instead of just stuffing slices in our mouths, this ended up being an educational tour.  While we all have our favorite pizza joints, we did not realize that this simple food, in its basic format (no toppings) came in so many varieties.

Like many things in life, pizza provides us with the analogy of something that is simple, but not easy.  Dough can have different varieties of flour, time of letting the dough rest / rise, letting the dough rise, flattening out the dough (no bubbles), and can be made thin crust, thick crust, Sicilian-style, or deep dish.  Sauce can either come as a simple crush tomato (uncooked) to complex precooked sauces.  The cheese, while in the basic form is mozzarella, can be freshly made, aged, hand pulled, low moisture, sliced or shredded. Some pizzas have the sauce, then the cheese on top; some have the cheese on the bottom and the sauce on top, and one sample we ate had a little sauce on the bottom and a little sauce on top. This is all before analyzing the important measurement of the cheese to sauce ratio.  Whew!  And, how about cooking methods?  You have your coal burning ovens (originally 20 foot by 20 foot), wood burning oven, gas ovens, cooking over lower heat, high heat or very high heat.  The heat, while determining the speed of cooking, has different effects on the dough in terms of crispiness, consistency of dough texture, potential “gum line”, and tip sag. 

What?!? I thought pizza was just dough, sauce and cheese (and a cooking source). 

The modern pizza, as we know it, comes from Naples, Italy.  Believe it or not, there is a governing body there that dictates what you must do to create a “Neapolitan” style pizza, called Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, or AVPN (The True Neapolitan Pizza Association), which is a non-profit organization that was founded in June 1984.  According to their regulations, Neapolitan pizza must conform to “Vera Pizza Napoletana“.  The official website states “…the Association is also involved in the promotion and protection of the affiliated pizzerias and products related to the production filer of “true Neapolitan pizza” and in the professionalization of pizza makers.”

This is no different from Reinheitsgebot: German Beer Purity Law. In Bavaria, beer can have only three ingredients - water, barley and hops, defined in 1516.  At that point, yeast was not know about, but was, and still is an important factor in turning sugar into alcohol.  In 1516, yeast entered the process as an airborne organism.  These rules, like the Vera Pizza Napoletana, are still observed today.

In both the pizza and beer example (which do go well together), while the base ingredients are simple, there are enough options that a single product can provide almost infinite variations.  In life, we have many things before us that are simple, but not easy.  To have a child, on paper, is simple as there are three basic steps – conceive, gestation and delivery.  Reality is that it is not easy when you factor in time, timing, and health (of parents) like all things that seem mechanical in nature, it is important that all of the functions be in working order, including, emotions, potential for complications, health (of child to be) and delivery.  Again, there are infinite variations.  While I appreciate the lessons from the day; most importantly, it was a great day, learning about something we both enjoy and, even more importantly, spending the time doing it together.