"...pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs..." -- Albert Einstein

 

I took this photo the first morning we were in Liverpool, out of the hatch window on our roof. I am not a photographer and I only have the phone camera but I have been unusually blessed by some sweet images I am saving.

I am also not an actual smoker. Lord knows I have tried but actually taking smoke into my lungs makes me cough like a 12-year-old trying it the first time. That said, my newsroom years had me buying Camels and at least puffing on them and drooping them from my lips like Bogart or Boyer to fit in with the Real Adults and I continued until the birth of my eldest child the evening of 1/30/83. I stopped so I wouldn't have to be a hypocrite saying I can smoke but you can't. Then all three of my kids became smokers.

I had my cigar and pipe years that I abandoned awhile because my wife didn't like the smell. I switched to 35 years of Copenhagen -- a potentially deadly habit I kicked to the curb cold-turkey on New Year's Day in 2015. I got past the nicotine in about 24 hours but continued dipping green tea because I liked that feel between cheek and gum. Quit that in 2018. I'd still love the occasional cigar.

...but I gotta tell ya -- now that I'm 68 freaking years old I don't give a shit. I can get world-class cigars and pipe tobacco out here and I am loving the hell out of it. I take a whiskey and a smoke outside in the evenings and just enjoy. Almost daily. Am I shortening my life? Likely. Do I care? No. Life is good these days and I am not going to deny myself that any more than I will deny a decent meal with a bit too much alcohol and carbs. Non-smokers and healthy eaters die every day.

Part of my enjoyment here is being so much closer to the daily of the heroes of my youth and the reasons why I went into the news business. Starting in high school, all I wanted to be was a foreign correspondent in the mold of a Winston Burdett for CBS Radio in Rome or the others I'd hear late at night. I never wanted television or to be a face -- just a voice. By the time I was about 24 I got that chance to go to to Damascus to work for the old Mutual Radio Network and do work for the BBC but, well, I was young and in love and turned it down. I will never regret that decision and I am grateful for the opportunity. The chance is what I wanted more than anything. I've had a great life since and these days I can be closer to what my heroes were seeing, doing, smelling and tasting.

We learn more by the day, going up to Blackpool yesterday to see the beachside amusement park and get more experience on the rail system. Because of geography and scheduling, the trip for about 60 miles was nearly as long as our excursion up to Scotland the week before -- about three hours. We plan on Edinburgh next week and to York later, plus a ride to Dublin at some point. London will be in early December for a few days. The trains are clean and efficient, but can be redundant or indirect in routing.

Not too many Americans think much about their utility bills except in terms of how much they cost per month. Every 30 days you get a bill and, depending on the time of year and weather, you roll your eyes or maybe choke a bit and that's it. In this flat, we see the cost by the day on a monitor. Today my $12 bought us four days of electric power. My $22 last week bought us about 10 days of natural gas -- and that's our heat. So far we have not had cold weather (I think our low so far has been like 45 degrees). Seeing all this on a day-to-day basis has been, um, different.

We continue to look at the what/where next. Our plan to return to the US for awhile the second half of next year looks a bit difficult, given costs of rent plus having to rent a car in most places. I literally looked at Ottumwa, Iowa and even a small place there is like $2K/mo and no. We have no real plans after April of 2023, but we're seeing it relatively friendly for longer-term stays in France, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Spain. These things can change by the month, so we just keep trolling the government sites to get a better idea. It's like being in school every day.

As mentioned earlier, we absolutely love the people here in Liverpool and we fit. But we can't stay. It's just part of being Out Here and that's okay with me.

I remain one lucky bastid. On so many levels.