The drives are grueling. The days are long and very hot. The nights are endless and sometimes uncomfortable. Yet, the reward at the end of this road is incalculable.

I’m urging you, actually imploring you, to hit the road this summer and take a baseball road trip with your children, grandchildren or both. I’ve done it numerous times and collected adventures and memories along the way. Best of all, I forged an unbreakable bond with my son.

Our baseball trip adventures took almost a decade to complete.

We’ve been to every Major League Baseball park, about a dozen minor league parks and one in Italy. We’ve traveled by auto, airplane, train and boat to get to the parks.

It started with my wife justifiably cursing at me. I showed her the details of the first multi-ballpark trip I planned in 2002 that started in New York, with stops in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Binghamton (minor league game) before ending at Shea Stadium back in New York. My wife’s reaction! “You’ve made me plan every summer vacation for the last 15 years and never helped once, but this you can do,” she said with indignity that still makes me shutter. “I’m sorry. I won’t go,” I said ashamedly, “we don’t have the money anyway.” “Oh yes we do and you are going. End of discussion.”

We called her from every stadium just before the National Anthem to check in. I got teary-eyed at every “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” thinking of her sacrifice. But my son and I made the most of every minute. We listened to books on tape along the way. We collected mini bats and pins from every stadium and had a photo taken of us with the scoreboard in the background. All are on display in my den in Bermuda Isle. We visited state capitals, national parks, museums and major college campuses when there was time.

We met many colorful characters on the road like the grandfather sitting next to me in Pittsburgh who’d played college football against Johnny Unitas and Mike Ditka at the University of Cincinnati but who quit the baseball team after one training session because he knew he’d never beat out another left-hander for a starting pitcher’s spot. The other pitcher was Sandy Koufax.

Oh, the memories. I remember sitting in left field during batting practice in the Minneapolis ball park called the Homer Dome while home runs fell in every section except ours. We lamented never getting a ball in the stands and estimated we’d been to 100-120 games together. Soon we were in our third baseline seats. The 20 seats to our right were still empty. This was important because Toronto first baseman Lyle Overbay sliced Matt Garza’s pitch foul about 10 seats to my son’s right. It bounced twice and then right into his hands. The Holy Grail was ours! And I can still feel the hug that they showed on the huge stadium scoreboard.

So go and make memories like that this summer. And here I am to help. It took about an hour to research and design a super trip for this July right after the All-Star break. What I put together is a maximum see-it-all 17-day driving trip to 14 parks in the east and midwest. That’s almost half the MLB parks. Here’s your Triptik beginning Fri., July 15.

The calculations: 4,060 miles at 59 hours, 8 minutes in stadium-to-stadium distance and driving times, according to Google Maps. At 27 miles per gallon, you’d use 150 gallons of gasoline. If the summer price rises to an average $2.25, figure about $350 for fuel. Fifteen hotel rooms at $150 would come to $2,250. Fourteen tickets for three getting $30 seats would be $1,400. Total without food, souvenirs, etc. rounds out to a $4,000 trip for 2.5 weeks. Of course, you could add a game in Baltimore on Day 19 and continue to Atlanta, Tampa and Miami on the way home to Aberdeen.

My son and I recall the details of the trips, games and players frequently. It’s part of our shared experience. He met friends I reconnected with in St. Louis, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Seattle and family in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. He saw where I went to college and had my first job. We argue about which was the best ballpark and the worst. The best ballpark food and the worst. And we enjoy the irony that when we finished our “cycle” of major parks in 2009 at Coors Field in Denver, the Rockies’ shortstop Troy Tulowitzki paid homage by getting for a “cycle” (single, double, triple and a home run in same game).

I’m not finished with baseball road trips either. My son and I will go to the new Miami park this season and I’d like to tour the Florida State League parks this summer and next. But the real treat will be when my grandsons are old enough to go on the road. Let the bonding begin.

I have worked with dogs for many years and now have been lucky enough to be trusted to care for many of my furry friends in and around Aberdeen. I have always enjoyed my research about dogs and love the wealth of knowledge that’s on the internet these days as well as the seminars and classes I have attended.

I would love the opportunity to create a place to share your dog stories and mine with a laugh or two and a helpful hint here and there as well. After all, besides grand children, what’s more spectacular than our own pets!

Katie is my ten-year-old Yorkshire Terrier and has been the hostess with the mostest and my best furry friend since she was 11 weeks old. She runs around the culdesac and immediately rolls over on her back for a belly rub greeting from everyone including the landscapers and the mailman. She’s quite a character.

Walking a dog in Hampton is like going to a party. The lush lawns are the perfect place to meet your neighbors at any time, day or night. It’s an odd day to go for a walk and not pass someone walking a dog with a kind word and an excited woof.

At home on a quiet day we practice basketball, bowling, jumping through her hula hoop and of course her signature trick of closing every door in the house. My friends are convinced that I have too much time on my hands but it’s really just so much fun. Katie is extremely food-motivated, so I can teach her basically anything with food. Keeping her weight down is another story for another day.

Is there any better expression of unconditional love than the one on your dog’s face? It’s written all over her/him. She loves everything about you: the sound of your voice, your smile, the way you smell. She instinctively knows when its time for you to make dinner, when you usually shut the lights at night and she will even start pacing if you’re late. Doesn’t she start barking before you open the garage door upon your return home? If you are fortunate enough to belong to one of these marvelous creatures you will probably agree that her tail wagging greeting is a heart warming experience to share and that there would be a great void in your life without your furry friend.

My goal is to bring people in Aberdeen together in an open circle of pet-people with stories and perhaps photos of our four legged friends. Any cat lovers and bird parents, please feel free to join me.

Joyce Hirschman
[email protected]

A reader asked the following question: “I’m in my 80’s. Should I lease my next car or should I finance it like I’ve done before?”

There are advantages to leasing.

• Less hassle. You can turn the vehicle in at the end of the lease period, pay any end-of-lease payments, and walk away.
• Lower initial costs. Usually there is little or no down payment.
• Lower maintenance costs. Many leases last about three years, the same as the typical length of many new-car warranties.
• Lower monthly payments. Lease payments cover the estimated depreciation of the car during the lease period not its full value. Since monthly lease payments are lower than monthly finance payments, you can afford to drive a nicer car.
• Lower sales tax. You are taxed only on the depreciated value during the lease period, not on the total price of the car.

There are also some disadvantages to leasing.

• Lack of flexibility. You can’t add a rear spoiler or repaint the vehicle tomato red. The car must be returned exactly as received.
• Penalties for early lease termination. If you need to opt out of the lease early there is often a large penalty involved. If the lessee dies, the estate is responsible for the lease contract. The estate can break the lease, but this generally involves considerable costs.
• Lack of equity. Unlike a financed car, the lessee has no equity in the vehicle. Once the lease terminates, you must either lease again or buy another vehicle.
• GAP insurance needed. You need to purchase additional auto insurance to cover the difference between what you owe on the lease and what the vehicle is actually worth if destroyed in an accident or is stolen.
• Extra Costs at Lease Termination.
• Most leases limit the number of miles you may drive (typically between 9,000 to 15,000 per year). You pay mileage charges for exceeding these limits.
• Most leases hold you responsible for any wear and tear exceeding what the lessor determines is normal.

I know some lessees who garage their cars near the end of the lease period. They are concerned about exceeding their allotted mileage. Each additional mile costs around $0.20. Rather than pay an extra $500, I know of one lessee who decided not to drive to see his grandchildren.

Speaking of grandchildren and other heirs, if you can afford it, the easiest method for your heirs is to purchase your vehicle outright. This will avoid them having to deal with loan and lease companies. So at 80-years old should you lease or buy? There is no one answer. It depends on your personal situation and other considerations. If you usually drive a car for seven plus years, want greater flexibility and an equity position, buy your next car. On the other hand, if you plan on driving the car for 3 years, want a nicer car for the money, lower payments and easy turnover, leasing is the better option.

So if you think this might be your last car, instead of buying a Chevy why not lease a Cadillac?

For the first 50 years of my life whenever I thought about Florida, I pictured a Buick lumbering down Interstate 95 with its left blinker on from Brooklyn to Boca. The soft occupants of the car, able in the 20th century to retire in their early 60s, were annoyingly referred to as snowbirds … or worse, snowflakes. They headed toward the land of hurricanes and hanging chads and alligators and coupons where the state bird was the ‘early bird’ and a good parking space had less to do with distance from the store than it did proximity to the shade.

When I visited my parents, I snickered at the “condo commandos” who talked way too much about how much they paid for their prescriptions and constantly complained about how chilly 70 degrees feels. I joked about the cars seemingly driven by headless people. And winced at the bumper stickers decorated with decals proclaiming loyalty to the NRA and the Confederacy.

Cynthia Ozick had a friend in me when she said, ‘The whole peninsula of Florida was weighed down with regret. Everyone had left behind a real life.’

But the years have shaken me out of my seat at the cynical kids table. Now my husband and I spend a half dozen winter weeks in the apartment we inherited in Hollywood FL. While I don’t foresee living there full time, I can no longer deny its virtues. The never-crowded beach where we sit in sand chairs with our feet in the mesmerizing water. Time… unscheduled and unhurried … to notice the sky … the wild changeable weather … the spectacular sunsets filling our living room window. Even the treat of grocery shopping in Publix, the beloved seemingly everywhere supermarket with its well lit wide aisles and huge selection.

When I briskly walk the 5-mile Boardwalk right outside my door each morning, those in their 80s regularly leave me behind. My husband plays golf at 7am with guys who were friends of my father. Growing older where you can spend much of the year outside is definitely life enhancing. So are the tennis tournaments and card games and lectures and day trips on which I once passed judgment. Not for me perhaps, but for those enjoying them, they are the fruits earned from decades of less selfish times.

I don’t believe my husband and I are wired for a life of 100% leisure, but I’ve been wrong before. Luckily we have careers where age and experience and wisdom make us better at what we do. If we’re blessed with good health, we can maintain our working life for as long as we want to. Yet suddenly bragging about working till 90 sounds arrogant. The idea is to make the most of each day … which may or may not include hard work. Even I, a list-making Type A should allow that slowing down and sleeping till 8:00 is not a sign of sloth. What’s my problem? Am I trying to impress my uninformed 40-year-old self that baby boomers still rule the universe? Or my children that I am still relevant?

What I’ve recently figured out is that there is almost another generation between my parents and me. Time enough to carefully plan, without trepidation or fear, the next stage of my life. And if I am lucky, I can relax into warming my bones in Florida the same way I enter the cold ocean water … slowly. I can work on a plan for growing older without growing old. I can see the value of days spent producing nothing more than an appreciation for a life spent well enough to get me to this place. I can lose the attitude.

For now I enviously admire the healthy body image the women on the beach, a surprisingly cosmopolitan mix of Canadians, Europeans and South Americans, exhibit in their two-piece bathing suits. I go to dinner in exotic Miami, which one of our neighbors calls Northern Cuba. And visit lifelong friends, happy campers relocated a bit farther north. Yet tipping my hat to my impatient DNA, I still roll my eyes at the DWO (driving while old) putting on his right signal 5 miles before he turns.

“Marcia Byalick teaches Writing the Stories of Your Life at Hutton House, part of LIU CW Post.”

Editor’s Note: This month, Judit Ungar, author of the Brittany Lakes column, chose to publish an article by her author/friend, Marcia Byalick, instead. You will agree that Marcia’s contribution was relevant to all of us!

Correction: Judit’s email address is: [email protected]

Three HOA board directors were elected to 3-year terms at Oxford’s 2016 Annual Election meeting on Mar. l8. Re-elected were Sam Singer and Ann Slakter. Andy Edson will replace Mike Ringler on the board. Mike gave many years of service to Oxford – as vice-president of the board, representative to the Fairway Lakes Drive Association, Director of Landscaping, and volunteer for the gate decal program.

New Oxford Board of Directors
President Ed Scherer
Vice Present Sam Singer
Treasurer Bob Rothman
Secretary Ann Slakter
Director Richard Haar
Director Norman Graboyes
Director Andy Edson
Andy Edson and his wife, Marilyn, have lived in Oxford Place for over 12 years. He spends part of the year, notably the summer months, on Long Island where he has operated a public and investor relations practice since 1996. Previously, he was a managing partner with a top 30 PR firm in NYC and served in executive communications posts with Citibank, Anaconda and two international PR consultancies.

He enjoys tennis, golf and bicycling and is active in the Aberdeen Golf and Country Club. Andy also serves as president of a NYC co-op and is familiar with the needs and desires of residents. He holds a BA degree from Fairleigh Dickinson and an MA from Memphis.

If April had showers then we should now have beautiful flowers, but first you must plant them. Some of our lakers have done that, but if you are like me, I wait for the higher power to make the flowers appear and then water them. Oh well!

Our representative to the POA has let us know that the PBSO has asked us all to be aware and alert of anything suspicious in our neighborhoods. There have been some home break-ins and we are to report anything questionable to the police. Call 911 or 561-512-0090 to have local authorities check it out. DO NOT, DO NOT confront people by yourself – even if they are kids.

Now for good news. Dot and Burt Shaker now have a new great-grandson, Itimar. Itimar lives in Israel with his parents and grandparents and older brother. We hope to meet him when his family brings him to Florida in the near future. We also have other grandparents telling us that their tribe has increased. The latest addition to the family of Carol and Mike Wallach, is Abigail Rose Wallach, born 3/15/06, to Matthew and Lauren Wallach. Abigail has big sisters, Issey (8-years-old) and Maddie (5-years-old).

Now for our birthday ladies for May and June, Janet Ashley, Renee Engel, Janet Trapani in May and Bobbie Bibicoff, Adele Miller, Fran Lovett, and Mimi Freedman for June. We wish you all a most happy birthday and many returns of the day.

By the time you read this our snowbirds will have flown back to their northern nests. We wish them a most happy summer and we will welcome them back when they return. BUT, do not rush back! I love not waiting on line at a restaurant, and I love fewer cars are the road, and … and … and.

We wish our friend and neighbor, Zina Issacs, good luck in her new abode. We will miss her here on the block, but she will be nearby-in Aberdeen East.

Any news please call me or e-mail me at [email protected]. Your local reporter does not want to make up news.

I am writing this month’s article. All of your events will be noted and written about. I hope to have lots of messages from our Hamptonites. We have a lot of new residents in the Hamptons, and hope they will contact me with their occasions and recent activities.

We unfortunately had some losses in the past month – Renee McKible, and Alice Kasarsky. They had many good years in our community and will be missed.

Ellen and Arthur Gold had a great trip to Dallas to see their grandchildren, and celebrated their kid’s birthdays.

Also happy to see Dave Price up and around after an illness. Judy keeps a uniform in the closet just in case.

Harry and I wish to congratulate Shuey Greenspan on being elected to the Hampton board. Also, welcome back to the members that were reelected. I am sure that they will put forth their best efforts to assure us of financial security and amiability.

We wish to thank Bill Whitelaw for his long-time service of 17 years, his tireless efforts and amazing acumen trying to keep us in the black while maintaining an excellent rapport with our community. We will miss our elder statesman and of course we all know that his door is always open.

Arthur Gold has to be thanked for being the voice of reason. His knowledge of working with our community has been unshakeable. He has great credentials and always tried to keep us on the right path. He is definitely not a face in the crowd. We wish him luck on being on the board of Aberdeen Country Club, and our loss is their gain.

We hope you all had a great visit from the Easter Bunny, and didn’t eat too much matzo on Passover. Many of us are returning up north for the summer. Have a safe trip and return to our little spot in Paradise.

All articles sent to [email protected].

Editor’s Note: Welcome Nancy Rosenstein to our roster of community writers for the Aberdeen Times. We will look forward to reading the news about Hampton each month.

Elections for Hampton Board directors were held at the annual community meeting on Mar. 22nd. A hearty congratulations to the following:

President: Pat Brown
Vice President: John Pagliarini
Secretary: Susan Spillert
Treasurer: Milt Lipson
Directors: Bart Cherry, Steven (Shuey) Greenspan, Irene Bolnick

On Mar. 12th. 45 Hampton residents had a luncheon get-together at Nicole’s’ Restaurant. We laughed, ate and just had a great afternoon. Plans are in the works for a Hampton book club and other so-cial activities.

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Alice Kasarsky. Alice was a long-time Hampton resident (1987-2016). Our condolences are sent to the entire Kasarsky family.

After many years of writing Hampton articles for the “Aberdeen Times,” I am passing the baton to someone other than myself. I have enjoyed being the recipient of good news and unfortunately, the barer of bad news. Such goes with the territory.

I wish you all good health and to our Jewish res-dents, a most Happy Passover.

No Fooling!!! Apr. 1st has come and gone and there are no “April Fool’s Day” folks around here!!!

It is absolutely amazing how time is flying. Be-fore you know it, spring will be over and we will be looking forward to summer. In the meantime our community is evolving and in wonderful ways. Many new people are joining the Bermuda Isle community and are living active lifestyles. Some of us will be leaving for other abodes to enjoy other parts of the country and world. Others of us live in this wonderful place and lead happy and contented lives.

We have had several really neat Bermuda Isle events take place this past month and a quick review is in order.

One that deserves extra mention is what has now become the annual “Pool Party”. This year’s gathering took place on Mar. 13th. A great deal of planning took place and many residents worked hard to make it the suc-cess that it was. Some statistics worth mentioning:

a. This year ninety (90) persons signed up for the event. The previous year was attended by fifty-six (56) people. This is a huge increase in interest and hopefully it was as enjoy-able to attend as it was to work on.

b. A key-board player / singer performed so that live entertainment was there for our listening and dancing pleasure. In previous years we used a music box that had seen its better days.

c. The menu was changed and subs of many descriptions were served along with wine, cheese, soda and many other tasty deserts.

d. Plans are being formulated for another celebration of ourselves for next year. A “draft Timmie” project is underway so that she will be convinced to perform this project yet an-other time.

Another group of residents enjoyed a trip to Jupiter to see the Miami Marlins play the Detroit Tigers in an exhibition baseball game. As was the case with the Pool Party, several important facts concerning the outing ought to be made known. They are as follows:

a. The seats were between the 3rd base dug-out and home plate. Truly exceptional seats. In previous outings the seats were not quite as good. The buyer of the tickets went a little overboard in the expenditure but the participants all had their wish for a fun afternoon enjoying baseball.

b. There was a forecast for severe rain, hail, dark clouds and maybe even a tornado for the Jupiter area for that afternoon. Because we are a group of stubborn and enthusiastic people, we drove up in caravan style and met at the appointed time and place to enjoy a great pre-game warm-up for lunch.

c. Peanuts, cracker-jacks and popcorn were found once inside the stadium. No sooner had the group sat down to enjoy the ball game did the weather perform exactly as predicted. (We all knew that weather forecasters have no measure of accuracy in their lives-so this was a complete surprise.) In the first inning, a little rain-the group retreated for cover and waited out the little bit of rain and drizzle and re-settled back into their seats. This process repeated itself a total of 3 times.

d. As one can imagine the 4th time created a river of water in everyone’s shoes. Never mind that all clothes and anything anyone was carrying or wear-ing was deluged with the Niagara Falls like rainfall-everyone kept their sense of humor and squished their way back to the caravan cars to make the ride back to Bermuda Isle.

e. All of the above goes to show that a new base-ball organizer is probably warranted – given the stimulating set of circumstances listed above.

The writing group of Bermuda Isle wants to note some additional events, personal notes and general points of interest.

a. Julie Haimes will have performed in the Aberdeen salute to Broadway music production.

b. Harvey Schwartz is continuing his recovery from a brush with surgery.

c. Joyce Bosch, Ruth Snyder, Marilyn Ashley and Judi Schwartz will all be celebrating their 39th birthdays. What a coincidence that they are all exactly the same age!!!

d. Joan Pallateri and Tom O’Donnell will be moving and we will miss them greatly. We, who are sports fans, note that the merry months of March and April bring “March Madness”, Men’s and Women’s College Basketball championships, Major League Baseball, College and Professional Hockey playoffs, BERMUDA ISLE BUZZ … (continued from page 12) Masters Golf Championship and personal participation in exercise and fitness workout regimens.

f. Many of us have had visitors from other locales family and friends alike.

g. Many of us are celebrating our children’s, grandchildren’s and friend’s graduations from nursery, elementary, middle school, high school, college and graduate schools.

h. Happy Holidays to everyone of every persuasion.

We are looking forward to seeing one another in the neighborhood and wish all well.