GATHERING GROUND REPORT - April 9, 2025
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| Bill Wills, Pete Gottschalk, Jo-Ann Smith, Dave Ewbank |
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| Minus Jo-Ann, plus Jerry |
Bill, JoAnn, Dave, Pete and Jerry shared some time at the Gathering Ground. Breakfast was as always, very very good and reasonably priced, even though they did increase to cover the additional cost of those chicken eggs. Still a deal!
I was seated next to the waitstaff and was able to see the shorthand for the breakfast orders. I ordered a Bacon, egg and Cheddar on a hard room. This was written at BEC and Bill used that same shorthand for his order. Pete's turn and his choice was the corned beef hash, single egg on top and homefries. This was written at "Crazy Good"! Nuff said about this dish!!Bob White still has not restarted the YouCanTwo races that he paused during Covid, but Bill did recall the last race held. Bill did manage to come in front of Bob even with a pause to tie his shoe. Bob in his newsletter after the race did proclaim that Bob dis set his PW, his Personal Worse record.
Motor vehicle registration must be renewed on a regular basis. Usually a letter will arrive in the mail with the renewal notice. In Connecticut, the renewal is done online. Bill (without any help from any police office) realized that his renewals were not coming and discovered that both his two cars and two motorcycles were all expired. Most were easily fixable with a visit to the online site. But one had gone more than two years and needed an inspection before the registration could be renewed. Bill is now in between a recent visit to the vehicle inspection station where they reported that any vehicle over 25 year old does not need an inspection and going back to the MVD to see again if this car can be registered.
Realtime update....I just called Bill and he did make it back to the DMV with positive results. When the person behind the counter was challenged with the fact that this auto was over 25 years old, the inspection need disappeared! Bill now has a new registration and also got Veterans plates for $7 dollars more.
Our table survey found everyone had the latest drivers license with the star showing Real ID. This will be necessary in order to get through TSA and take a plane ride anywhere!!
Overseas trips, how to make phone calls or text. Several solutions were talked about and the experience with these solutions. WhatsApp was one, Use WIFI in your hotel that evening, signup up for a plan with international capability, pay the $10/day for your current operator's plan. With a fair amount of experience in the different solutions, it was thought that WIFI from the hotel where you were staying was the simplest and if an urgent need arises, the $10 for a day was an easy fall back.
Your Scribe
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NOTE FROM JIM LAMOIN
Got this email from Jim Lamoin a few weeks ago, directed to Bill Wills and cc'd to me:
"Hey Bill,
I’ve been meaning to send this for a while, but you know how it is, something always comes up. But now that News from the Hole is winding down, I thought I better get it done. Copying Chris for the archives if you guys so choose.
I had a great run at HSD - the absolute greatest group of people I worked with my entire career, bar none.
I usually read the NFTH using this great computer that you presented to me when I left HSD for Norden. The photo is one my daughter took that same year (1984) looking west on a sunset way out on the bay at Cape Cod.
All the best to you and the gang.
Jim"
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"The building is the latest look at HSD building three psrking lot. Someone is constructing a large box store on this footprint." (Jerry)
