Election Time

I have never been involved in a presidential campaign as I was this past election. Not just keeping up on the issues of the campaign, or the rhetoric bantered between both parties, or issues that effect me personally. This election I volunteered at one of the local Tampa offices to lend my support and effort to help Mitt Romney with this extremely important election.

As we all now know, his campaign was unsuccessful. But I sure did learn and experience quite a bit.

Initially I was working just two nights a week, a couple hours each night, and a few hours on Saturday. This started in late September and quickly grew to many more hours each week and exploded to about 60 hours the last seven days of the campaign. I got caught up in the activities, the workload, and my belief in the candidate being the absolutely right man for the job.

I met some wonderful volunteers while working the campaign as well as having some quite interesting phone conversations during the six weeks I worked.

Originally my job was to work the phone bank. When I first started I was calling throughout the state of Florida with the sole mission of getting voters interested in voting by mail - the absentee ballot as it is called.  This activity was fairly calm and boring with one exception. Early on I spoke with a woman that, after identifying that I was volunteering for the Romney campaign, proceeded to yell and scream at me regarding how she hated Mitt Romney. Even though I wanted to pursue her anger and ask what he had done to her, I knew that would be pointless. I politely thanked her for her time and hung up. Gee, I wonder what party affiliation she was associated with.

After a couple nights of doing this, I was promoted(?) to making recruiting calls. I would spend the evenings calling registered republicans to ask if they would give of their time to help with the phone banks or neighborhood walks/door knocking. This, too, was fairly routine and boring, although for me it posed some challenge as I had to ask someone to help and donate their time. I am not comfortable with this. But actually I became somewhat good at this. Even though I had a script to work from, through trial and error, I figured out what to say to get better responses. No crazy phone calls with the recruiting calls, but it is amazing how many people are out of town on weekends when you ask for their time.

As election day drew near and I was not recruiting on the phone, our mission with phone calls changed. We now calling registered republicans and independents asking if the Republican Party and Mitt Romney could count on their support for the election. The volunteers also grew tremendously during this time. By the middle of October we would have in excess of 100 callers on any given Saturday and even more doing neighborhood walks. The intensity and dedication was impressive. The phone calls were still being made statewide while the door knocking was in the greater Tampa area. I was now recruiting during the week and phone banking on the weekends, which grew from a few hours on Saturday to a larger time on Saturday and more hours on Sunday.

Because of the intensity of this election in such a heated, battleground state as Florida, calls to potential voters became constant and overwhelming for many of them. Some became irritable, which I understand, but the calls were necessary. We were now pursuing early voting in addition to the absentee balloting.

I spoke with many, many people during this phase. Most were pleasant and understanding of what we were attempting to do. I often heard "thank You for volunteering your time" from the individual I called. As November 6 grew near though, the general public became very tired of the calls so I started hearing all kind of comments.

*I had one person asked me who Mitt Romney is. And he was serious with that question. Obviously I didn't need to continue that conversation.
*When I asked another person if we could count on his support on election day, he laced his response with the "F" bomb. He said he would vote for "F'ing Obama if we didn't quit F'ing calling him every F'ing day. That call ended abruptly also.
*I spoke to people that didn't know when election day was.
*I spoke with a gentleman who told me he just got home from the hospital for leukemia treatment, that he was dieing but was voting for Romney.
*I had another call where a woman answered. I asked for her husband and she informed me that he had just died last week but she assured me that he sent his ballot in and that he voted for Romney.
*Another woman informed me that she and her husband were both voting for Mitt Romney. She then told me that she told her children if they did not vote for Romney she was taking them out of her will. And she also assured me she would do just that.
*When door knocking, I had one man immediately respond with "What the hell do you want". I hadn't said a word, but I did have a Romney hat on.

Through the course of the six, or so, weeks that I worked at the campaign office, we had news crews from England and Australia stop by. We also had USA Today, The New York Times, Fox News, ABC, and all the locals come by to see what we were doing. I've heard that I was on a Fox News clip showing the last Romney Rally.

Because of my efforts on the phones, training other volunteers on the phones, and doing a week of door knocking, I was given a VIP pass to the final two Romney Rallies in the area. It was great. On both occasions I had the privilege of shaking Mr. Romney's hand and at the second one I spoke with him for a minute. I met Senator John McCain, Senator Marco Rubio, State Attorney General Pam Bondi, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and Congressman Connie Mack. I was also invited to the Republican Election Night party at the downtown Hyatt. Unfortunately it turned out to  be not much of a party.

 Even though Mitt Romney was not successful in his bid to win the presidency, I feel like I gave my all and I don't have to worry whether I could have done more. Again, it was quite the experience and I met some wonderful people.

           

A trip back to Sevierville

It's been quite some time since I've written a blog. I guess I've been busy keeping house or I've settled into a quiet, simple life.

In early September I traveled to Sevierville to play in a golf outing. Audrey Yates and Smoky Mountain Title was kind enough to sponsor a four man team. The only problem I had was that I traveled to Sevierville about a week early. I didn't pay much attention to the date Audrey sent me and just went.

This worked out well though, in the long run. It allowed me to spend about four days experiencing one of my passions. I drove to Murfreesboro, Shiloh, Corinth MS., Clarksville/Nashville, and Chattanooga . I was able to visit Civil War battle sites at each of these locations.

First on the list was Stone's River in Murfreesboro, TN. This marked the beginning of the Union taking control of Middle and Western Tennessee and essentially splitting the Confederacy in half. I spent the better part of a day touring the site, spending time at the visitors Center, and getting in and out of the car to get a feel for the battle and to read all the markers. 

From here I drove about four hours and located the Shiloh battle site. It was late in the day and I could find nowhere to spend the night, so I had to travel about an hour north to near Jackson, TN to find a room. Knowing that the Shiloh site was extremely large, I headed out early the next morning. While at Stone's River I spoke with another Civil War tourist and he advised me to visit Corinth, MS before Shiloh. At that time, Corinth was a strategic rail center for the South, and would later fall to the Federals. This would lend some insight as to the reasoning behind Confederate General Sidney Albert Johnston's attempt to smash Federal General U.S. Grant's army encamped at Shiloh. Getting to Corinth and visiting the center added about three hours to my trip, but it was certainly worth it. From here I traveled back to the Shiloh battle site. After touring the visitor center - reading, viewing artifacts, and watching a film - I visited the U.S. Military Cemetery where many of the Union soldiers that lost their lives at this battle are buried. This was an extremely moving experience. I then jumped in the car and proceeded to spend the next five hours driving the auto tour, getting out and reading the markers, walking some of the areas that were highlights in this horrific two day battle, and drinking in the feelings that flow through this site. Various locations that were highlights of this battle is the Shiloh Church itself that changed hands twice; it was used as both Union General William T. Sherman's headquarters, and after being overrun by Confederates, it was used By Confederate General Pierre G.T. Beauregard's headquarters until it was taken back on the second day of battle. I also walked Bloody Lane, the Hornet's Nest, Bloody Pond, the Peach Orchard, and the site where General Sidney A. Johnston was shot and later died. In my opinion, General Johnston was the best Confederate general of the western theater.

From here I traveled north to Clarksville, TN - north of Nashville. Getting to my room about 9 PM, I planned my next day and rested. Early the next morning, I backtracked once again and went to visit the Fort Donelson Battle site. This was also a strategic battle as this fort along with Fort Henry allowed the Confederates to control the river traffic. These forts were located on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, respectively, and were vital to river movement of troops and supplies in the western portion of the Civil War. Fort Henry fell easily to General Grant and the naval support courtesy of Flag Officer Foote. This was made possible with the nearly complete evacuation before the battle due to difficulty in defending the fort. Fort Donelson was a different story. The defense of this fort was prepared for much better. And the U.S. Navy did not have the same success as it did at Fort Henry. The confederate cannon was better positioned and not easily reached by Flag Officer Foote's gunboats. Eventually the gunboats, after sustained much damage, withdrew. The Federal infantry was also stymied after a day's battle, but for some odd reason, the two confederate generals, General John Floyd, who was in command of Fort Donelson, and General Pillow, second in command, pulled the confederate troops back into the fort. Under the cover of darkness, these two generals along with the confederate cavalry led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest escaped the fort which was surrendered the next day, the Confederates losing about 13,000 troops. 

From here, with time on my hands, I drove to Chattanooga to visit Lookout Mountain and learn about "The Battle Above the Clouds". Again, arriving in the evening, I checked into a hotel and planned my next day.

Following the Federal retreat at the Battle of Chickamauga, these troops under the leadership of General Rosecrans occupied Chattanooga. Confederate General Braxton Bragg followed them to Chattanooga and proceeded to lay siege to the city in an attempt to force a surrender. Bragg stationed troops on Lookout Mountain overlooking the city, to the east in an area referred to as Missionary Ridge, along with various troops scattered to the west. Eventually the siege was broken by General Grant's movement of Federal troops crossing the Tennessee River near Moccasin Bend and creating "The Cracker Line". In addition, his troops easily took Missionary Ridge and charged up Lookout Mountain. Due to heavy fog hanging around and over Lookout Mountain, to view the battle from the base of the mountain was impossible; thus the term "The Battle Above the Clouds".  

Thus, in only four days I travelled to some of the most important battle sites in the western theater of the Civil War; and one of the bloodiest of the entire war - Shiloh.

Consider this your American history overview lesson for the month. The Civil War really is one of the most interesting periods in our country's history. So much came about in our great country because of this conflict.

Oh yeah, I did get to play golf. We had a great time but didn't play very well. It's really a social event for most of us.

Catching Up

Well, here it is early June and the rainy season is upon us. It seems like everyday is filled with either rain, storms, or just plain overcast. Oh well, we've got to take the bad with the good. At least all the ponds and lakes are being refilled. This has got to make the fishes and gators happy. The down side is it reduces the golf I can play. I've only been out once in the last week. Bike riding isn't much better. In fact, I just came back from an abbreviated ride. Got rained out. Hopefully I can try again later today.

We have been somewhat fortunate in that the weekends have been sunny. We continue to explore. We visited the small, quaint town of Dundedin a couple weekends ago. They have some great speciality shops and good restaurants. They also have a bike trail that runs through Dunedin from the north in Tarpon Springs and continuing south. It is called the Pinellas Trail and is the old railroad tracks paved over for cyclists and walkers. This is on the list of things to do. From there we traveled south to Clearwater Beach. What a mess with tourists at the beach and activities at the park. Actually it was quite fun to be in all of that. This past weekend we traveled north a bit to Dade City to visit an antique car show. Although there were not many cars in attendance, nothing like the rod runs in Pigeon Forge,  Dade City also has an old section in town that is populated with restaurants and speciality shops, so we spent some time roaming through these stores.

This weekend we are going to St. Armand's Square in Sarasota to visit their arts and crafts fair. St. Armand's is a wonderful location, again, with lots of shops and restaurants to visit. It is great to just walk around there and people watch. Also, in town are a some friends from Sevierville that we will get to visit with for a day. We are truly looking forward to that time.

On the golf side of things, I have been able to play quite a bit until the rainy season set in. With all the playing, I've been able to reduce my score noticeably and now am shooting in the mid 90's on a regular and consistent basis. This, for me, is quite a feat. Of course in that score exists a couple mulligans. My next goal is to shoot that score without the mulligans. It's amazing what taking your time on your swing, paying attention, and following through can do for your score.

I have included some photos from the golf course again. Birds, a tortoise, and alligators and course shots. I saw a couple armadillos the other day on the course, but by the time I got my camera they had scurried away. For a minute I thought I was in Texas. I also have located a place that attracts stray golf balls. There is a pond on the 17th hole that sits below the course. I was held up one day waiting for the green to clear of a twosome, happened to look down at the pond and was tons of golf balls in the shallow water and near the water. Thus, I have been golf ball fishing the last few times I've played and have recovered enough golf balls to last quite some time. And at the rate that I lose them I will definitely need them.

Typical Day; Typical Week

I think we have now settled into a typical lifestyle; whatever that means. Honey is back to work and I am the housekeeper. My days and weeks consist of usually preparing dinner; drinking coffee on the lanai; doing some grocery shopping; working on the computer on the lanai; riding my new bike; reading the newspaper on the lanai; playing golf;  working the crossword puzzle on the lanai. Is there a common thread located in my daily and weekly activities? I think so. I seem to spend a fair amount of time on the lanai. It is wonderful. Both exposed sides are screened in and face into a nature preserve. All the privacy that one could want. And I get to see some of the preserve's creatures everyday. I've seen Rocky Raccoon, a ton of Sammy Squirrel's family, and nearly everyday I see Tommy Turtle (photo below)  amble out and down the grass line for his usual buffet of greens. About two hours later he comes meandering back and disappears back into the woods. I've also seen red birds and blue birds right outside my lanai.

I've played more golf  since we've been here than I have in all of the last two years. I get to the course two or three times a week, late afternoon when it's not so busy. I can't go until I get my daily chores complete. I haven't improved yet, but I know it's coming. Golf has to be one of the most humbling and frustrating activities available. I bought a pull cart recently and this enables me to just load my golf bag on the cart and walk over. It takes about ten minutes and it's a great way to go. Once there, though, I ride. I have also seen a number of critters on the course, and have attached a number of photos showing both the animals and various locations on the course itself. Most of the critters have been different birds, but I have seen a gator a few times. Nothing big yet, he appears to be just a juvenile. Maybe five feet long.  The birds go wherever they want. They are in the water, on the tee box, in the fairway, on the green. It is their domain and the golfers are just visiting.  Obviously the gator can go where it wants also. No arguments from me.

Honey and I bought bikes a couple weeks ago. They are great. 21 gears, but I use, maybe, three of them. They are not racing bikes, but built more for just touring and cruising. The bike enables me to ride to the grocery with my canvas bag, shop, and ride home. Who needs that second car? I walk to the golf course and bike to the grocery. What else is there???  I also will ride a couple times a week and I am doing about 8 - 10 miles each time out. Great exercise, not that I need it - LOL.

The weather continues to be absolutely wonderful. The sun shines everyday. The temperature will get into the mid to high 80's during the day and the mid 60's at night. Today was the first partly overcast day that we have had since we arrived. It has rained a couple times late at night, but we have not seen any during the day yet. Although I've read that the rainy season starts in June.

We are truly blessed to be here. We certainly took the "long way 'round Robin's barn" as the saying goes, to get here but we made it.

Oh, by the way - How 'bout those 'CATS.

Here are a bunch of photos.