Prep '58 Blog - June 2025

 Three of us got together on Tuesday, June 10th at the Reo Diner - Peter Donnelly, Joe Machewirth and Vince.  Another quality over quantity turnout.

Joe Machewirth shared some of his experiences, good and bad, with being a timeshare owner. Apparently it's a lot easier to become a time share owner than it is to sell your subscription. He also mentioned Cape Cod and how much he enjoys biking there.

Each of us shared stories about our "pre-retirement" days, and how it seems so far in the past already. Vince shared a story about retiring, and then having to unretire, when the guy hired to replace him decided that he was going elsewhere. 

We discussed that one of the issues about retirement is the availability of health care plans post-retirement, but there was mixed reviews about them. Vince shared his satisfaction with UHC/AARP Medicare Advantage, which he switched to when the premiums for his Citi health plan went thru the roof.

The conversation went to air travel and the deteriorating service levels, particularly  at Newark Airport. Vince hoped that they get things working properly before he and wife Stephanie head off to France for a family reunion on her side. Vince also mentioned that they were in the process of selling their Cliffside Park apartment, and looking for a house in Ocean County, which would put them within easy reach of Vince's daughters. More to come.

The chatter continued, and then our lunches showed up. After we we gathered around for a photo, we said our goodbyes.

The Reo Cuppa for July is cancelled in favor of the Reunion Summa Bash on July 15th at Bar-A in Belmar. Se information in this Blog edition on the Reunion.

Our next Cuppa Club is scheduled for Tue, Aug 19th at noon EDT at the Reo Diner in Woodbridge. 

We started with a report from Vince about the plans he and wife Stephanie have to sell their apartment and buy a house. Vince says guys his age are selling houses, not buying them, but they appear to be on their way to becoming home owners. Someone asked Vince which exit on the Garden State Parkway was the house, but he didn't get the joke. "Gotta get out more, I guess," he said. More to come.

Conversation turned to the confrontations in California about the ICE raids and demonstrations. There was little support for what was going on, and there was concern that having armed groups on the streets will inevitably lead to trouble.

From there, we got onto technical problems with TV's, internet, etc. Dave told us about a TV he had problems with in his Cape Card home. He eventually tried the age-old advice, "Give it a whack," which apparently worked. Phil Campana told us that he has a TV that only gets Conan O'Brian, and thinks he will give Dave's "Give it a whack," technique a try.

Dave gave us a bit of history about his homes in Montclair and Cape Cod, both of which he has had for more than 40 years. He told us that he used to go up every year with a plan for a big project, but this year, with some of the health issues he shared with us, he had no plans for any projects. There was discussion about the changes that are coming to the Cape, where the homes are being sold to developers who build large homes, which changes the look and feel of the area.

Dave shared news that he suffered a minor stroke last November, and is still recovering from it. He has no pain, but it has had an effect on his speech. "Things have slowed down," he told us, "I know what I want to say, but expressing it is sometimes troublesome." You can hear Dave in his own words in the video.

Peter shared with us that he's found that no one wants books any more. He and his family has been donating books for years, but in the last 5 years there was little interest any more. 

Bill Wittman told us that since the first mention about Canada being the 51st state, there has been a surge of national pride in the Canadian populace.

There was discussion about the fires in Canada and the smoke issues that have resulted. There was discussion about how some of the fires were started, with stories about fires being started as "controlled burns" by the New Mexico  Wildlife Commission that got out of control, and apparently caused a lot of damage.

There was a lot of serious and humorous discussion, and we urge everyone to watch the video.  You can see it here.

If you can't make it to an in-person Cuppa, you can join the gang in a Zoom Cuppa, wherever you are. We have plenty of room, and there's no entrance fee.

The next Zoom Cuppa is scheduled for Monday, July 14th @ 12:00 pm EDT.  Vince will send out the meeting invitation with the pass code.     Please keep the email!