Dan Antion

Look, Up in the Sky – #SoCS

Two limes, artfully balanced.
Soup of the day was broccoli cheddar. A little too smooth for me, but good
“Can we work out a better schedule? One where you brush me and then leave.”

It’s Saturday. The forty-first week of 2021 is almost over and there are sixty-nine shopping days until Christmas, if that matters to you. More importantly, there are about nineteen hours left to participate in Linda G. Hill’s fun, frantic Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt (as of the time this post went live). David and I are gathered here at the bar. It looks like Cheryl has the day off. We will muddle through without her…somehow. Today’s prompt is an easy one, if you’re familiar with how this blog starts every Saturday,

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘if.’ Start your post with the word ‘If.’ Enjoy!”

Here we go.

If we were having a beer, you’d be wondering what all the commotion in the skies was about this week.

“Welcome gentlemen. Are you having your regular drinks today?”

“Ugh, hi Skippy. I can’t speak for Dan, but I would like a John Howell’s Special – a complete special if I might add.”

“He can speak for me, Skippy. I’ll have a Corona, with lime, please.”

“Since I can speak for him, Dan also says to put this all on his tab. He’s still paying off an old debt.”

“David how long are you going to milk the SoCS drink giveaway. I said I was sorry.”

“I’ll buy next week Dan.”

“OK guys, here we go. David, a glass of John Howell’s Bourbon, a snifter of seltzer and a glass of ice. Dan, an ice-cold Corona with my signature two-lime balance. Will there be anything else?”

“Cherries.”

“Oh, right, I always forget. I’ll be right back.”

“Cheers…”

“Wait, before you clink the glass, here are two cherries for your bourbon.”

“Thanks Skippy. Cheers Dan.”

“Cheers David.”

“Dan, you live over by the airport, what was all the hubbub in the skies over there this week?”

“Ospreys.”

“Birds? No, this was way too loud to be birds. Besides, ospreys don’t come this far north.”

“Not birds David, Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys – The tilt-rotor aircraft. You know take off and land like a helicopter, fly like a plane.”

“What are they doing here?”

“Protecting the skies for Biden.”

“Joe Biden? The President?”

“No, Carl Biden the shoe salesman.”

“What’s Joe Biden doing in Windsor Locks?”

“Landing in Air Force One – it’s where the airport is.”

“Stop being a jerk, Dan. Why is President Biden in Connecticut?”

“He made a stop in Hartford to pitch his ‘build bigger, better, whatever’ thing and then he went to UConn.”

“Did he come for the football game? UConn is playing Yale today.”

“I doubt very much the President of the United States would come to watch a team that currently has zero wins and seven losses. He came to help dedicate the Dodd Research Center for Human Rights.”

“I thought Bill Clinton came to dedicate that back in the nineties.”

“He did, but that was the first dedication. This is a new version of the building.”

“Which Senator Dodd is it named after, Dan?”

“Both. The father had a long history of being involved with human rights. Starting when was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. The son also was an advocate of human rights, so they both get to claim some of the glory.”

“So, he’s been here and gone? Didn’t stay for the game?”

“Didn’t stay. Biden isn’t an Ivy Leaguer.”

“Was the ceremony open to the public?”

“No, but they live-streamed it, David.”

“Did you watch?”

“No. I’ll catch it the next time they dedicate it. Besides, the last time I was in the audience while Chris Dodd was speaking, I was asked to leave.”

“You guys want another round?”

“Yes Skippy, thanks.”

“Wait a minute, Dan. You were thrown out of a Chris Dodd event? Do tell.”

“I wasn’t thrown out. I was asked to leave.”

“What event?”

“He was promoting the New England Interstate Banking Bill in nineteen-eighty-three. They invited the partner in charge of the banking division at the firm I worked for.”

“That wasn’t you, Dan. I know you were never a partner at Peat Marwick.”

“No! – not even close. I was a manager. The partner couldn’t go. They sent me instead since I was a consultant specializing in banking.”

“Get on with how they gave you the bum’s rush.”

“They opened the floor to questions, and…”

“And you opened your big mouth.”

“I asked why he was supporting a bill that was likely going to cause all of Connecticut’s major banks to be gobbled up by out-of-state entities.”

“Good question. What did he say?”

“I don’t know. Two big guys asked me to step outside for a minute. Once outside, they closed the door and told me I wasn’t going back in.”

“Here you go guys. More bourbon, seltzer, ice and another beer.”

“Thanks Skippy.”

“No problem, Dan. I heard part of your story. It’s funny to think about people actually going into banks.”

“Where do you bank, Skippy?”

“Right here on my phone, David.”

“Who do you bank with? If I might ask. You know, what bank?”

“The one with the flag logo. Here…hang on…Bank of America. Is that a good one?”

“And you were worried, Dan. Cheers.”

Ospreys have a distinct sound. As soon as we heard it, we knew it was nothing we regularly hear.
Osprey heading to BDL
One flag – every citizen. This might be my favorite photo.
The bees are moving slowly, but they still like the tithonias
The sun is lighting up the path this morning
Another foggy start
By the time our walk was over, the sun had made much progress
Not many apples left
The sun is strong today.
Smokey’s cousin has a place near the park.
I had to play with this in Lightroom. Do you see the geese?
The sun is fighting its way through the fog.
From one park into the other
First Maddie blocked my shot, then she stepped on the leaves.
Long shadows

77 comments

  1. Beautiful captures of sun and fog! The apple photo is a little melancholy but I like it; I also love the long shadows with Maddie in the corner.

    So when they open the floor to questions, they mean only questions they want to answer, yes? There’s a shocker.

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    • I’m glad you like the pictures, Maureen. The sun burning through the fog was captivating. I couldn’t stop taking pictures as we walked into a different angle.

      Yes, open for “appropriate” questions. I learned a lesson that day. It was reinforced when I returned to the office. The partner apologized on behalf of the firm.

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  3. Don’t get my husband started on the Osprey. He worked the program for the military when they first adapted the design and then for the defense contractor when he retired. The damn things were falling out of the sky left and right back then …. So badly, troops were refusing orders to fly in them. We had one crash up the road from where we lived in NC, in a friends backyard. No one survived.
    The plane was sent to Iraq where no one realized the air intake would suck in copious amounts of sand…. Not generally a good thing for engines.
    🥴

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    • John Howell Specials are always helpful, Gwen. I try to avoid politics at the bar, but I couldn’t pass up telling my encounter with our State Senator. Predictably, it didn’t go well for me.

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  7. I just had fun playing with your geese photo. I don’t have photoshop, but I think I made the stand a little more.
    I am loving that flag photo! I will be stealing that for the Monday Farewell Salutes, if it’s okay with you.

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  8. Those shadows are getting long, Dan. Thanks for the day off. I’ll be very sad when the tithonias are gone. So beautiful. The minute I saw Linda’s prompt for today I thought, “A hole in one for Dan!” 🙂

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  9. Why Dan, you old rabble rouser! So much for freedom of speech. Glad you at least got the question out because I bet it caused a lot of people to start thinking and questioning themselves.

    LOVE this shot of Old Glory today. That is an awesome picture. Frame-worthy.

    Bees on the tithonias. How great is that in mid-October? Maddie showing off her feathers, and Smokey’s cousin on his fence perch. And that flock of geese …. a sure sign of seasonal change. Those ospreys look like ginormous drones!

    Have a super weekend Dan.
    Ginger

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    • I’m glad you like this, Ginger. We can file my rabble-rousing under the ongoing heading of “why do I speak?” Apparently I didn’t understand the rules. That was pointed out to me when I returned to work. Interstate banking was inevitable, but starting in New England meant that the big regional banks would try to get bigger so they could survive when banking opened up nationally. That’s exactly what happened. Within two years, all of CT’s big banks were gone.

      I kept taking pictures of the flag as we moved closer to it and the sun was making progress. I have a bunch, but I really was happy with this one. I’m glad you like it.

      That flock of geese is heading northwest. I’m not sure where they are going, I only hope they get out of the flight path to BDL, especially on foggy days.

      The Ospreys are large, lumbering beasts. I know the sounds of almost everything that flies over us. This one was new to me. Before this, I’ve only seen them at an airshow.

      I hope you have a great weekend.

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  10. I loved your story, Dan. I’ll bet the partners thought you were the best. Escorted out is a thing of the past. Now it is a check on your finances or at least it will be when the Duma gets finished with the latest bill. Loved the photos. It is surprising how the Ospreys look like the bird. Thanks for the mention.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • The banking partner apologized to Senator Dodd on behalf of the firm for my “inappropriate question.” Silly me. I thought having large banks in our state was important to a audit/consulting firm trying to expand their presence in the banking sector. Oops. I think one of the guys who removed me was a cousin of Tiny.

      This was the first time an Osprey (a pair of them) flew over our house. They made several trips out to the UConn campus in Storrs during the week. I think they escorted his helicopter back to BDL yesterday. I doubt the President flies on an Osprey.

      I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Air Force One taking off, but my guess is they used the longer runway. The perimeter road is accessible, but you cannot stop while on it. I once stopped for a drink of water while riding my bike, and a State Policeman showed up in less than a minute to tell me to get moving. I assume it was blocked off yesterday. The runway is almost 7,000′ long, so AFO would have been in the clouds before I could see it from a public lot.

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  11. First off – for David being sassy this morning and making you feel guilty about all those “free” drinks, I think Skippy should pour some top shelf brandy into my coffee and give the tab to your friend. Skippy can tell him it’s from a secret admirer…sort of.

    Not sure what to say about the Biden visit, but that was a funny story about you getting kicked out of a Dodd event. The speaking of truth hurts and needs to be quieted immediately. How dare you question him! ;-)

    Love the fog photos, Dan! It was foggy here one morning this past week, but also very gray. The sun finally came out yesterday and although it’s a lot cooler, that big yellow thing will be present over the weekend. Yay. Happy Saturday, have a lovely weekend!

    Liked by 2 people

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    • I’ll have Cheryl pour that and add it to his tab next Saturday ;)

      You know I don’t drift into politics. The Biden visit went well. I liked his comment that “human rights is part of America’s DNA.” That’s really all I know about the visit.

      Speaking the truth, asking questions people would rather not answer is one of those things I got in trouble with numerous times. Sometimes, I ended up being drafted into community service on a committee. Other times, I found myself no longer on a committee. I guess – “you can’t handle the truth” is more than a line from a movie.

      I hope you’re having a nice weekend, Mary. Thanks for stopping by the bar. I’ll get a line on that Brandy.

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  12. Good for you for asking the question. Even if you did get get thrown out, at least you shed some light on the subject. Speaking of light, those are excellent lighting effects in your photos! I see an angel in the last sunrise through the trees. Maddie’s legs go good with the fall leaves.

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    • Thanks so much, JoAnna. I find the light breaking through the fog to be very inspirational. I’ll have to study that photo again. Maddie’s legs have a way of getting into all the low angle photos.

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  13. How interesting! Power to the people. I’m glad you at least got to ask your question before being escorted out. The flower picture with the bee is outstanding. The gallery overall is always a treat.

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    • Thanks. Yeah, they didn’t say “Easy questions only” or else I might have kept my mouth shut…on second thought, that’s never been my style. Hence the frequent comment (to me) “why do you speak?”

      I’m glad you like the photos. I think I have more of these for Monday.

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  14. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. So weird, considering you didn’t know you were on the way out. Great question for them, though. Silly me, I had no idea how that worked. Your fog/sun photos are beautiful, Dan–our flag has never looked lovelier. Don’t mess with a good thing–Maddie and the fall leaves were made for one another! Hold your ground, Maddie! 😉 Have a great weekend, Dan.

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    • I guess that’s why they bring their own security. I really like the way that flag photo came out. I took a bunch of them. I’ll continue to let Miss Maddie photobomb my artistic attempts. I hope you’re having a great weekend, Lois.

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  15. I agree with your pick for your favorite photo although they are all lovely. I have to chuckle when politicians get asked questions their team did not prepare for. Good for you for asking it. When I go into our bank, it looks like only two or three people work there these days.

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    • Thanks Maggie. When I look back on things like this, and consider how much banking has changed and how no one in 1983 saw any of this coming, I wonder about a government where things that years and a world where things seem to take only days to change.

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    • Dan, my husband worked in Charotte for what would become the banking headquarters for BofA. He implemented a lot of new technology most of which has been replaced by even newer technology now. All areas of society certainly do not progress at the same rate. Especially our government.

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      • That’s pretty cool, Maggie. CT was never going to be a banking center (although Rhode Island did pretty well). As a consultant, losing large banks in our state meant losing potential clients to NY and Boston.

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  18. I got a notice today! Yay! I think your question was an excellent one. He should be ashamed for tossing you out instead of answering you honestly. Charlie would have loved you. His best friend in Indiana asked just that sort of question in political meetings. He never got thrown out, either. He wasn’t huge, but he was one of those people who gave off a vibe of being immovable.

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  19. Hahaha… If! I laughed so long that I realized I hadn’t been able to focus on the post for laughing. So I read again. If… LOL.
    Those dratted Ospreys. I nearly had a head-on collision with one in DC, because it was flying so low when it crested the hill I was driving up. I ran off the road. Not an easy feat, when there are bumper to bumper cars parked on both sides of the streets. An angel must have put that parking lot entrance right where I needed it.
    Have a great weekend, Dan. Hugs on the wing.

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. The pictures are stunning! Especially the one with the leaves and Maddie‘s foot. Gotta love that one. So, if he never goes into a bank, does he ever have any cash? How does that work? I may not have been in a bank for a year and a half but I still have some cash in my wallet, just in case.

    Liked by 1 person

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  28. Those planes are so cool to watch. I bet they are hard to fly, though? I don’t know if you’ve noticed or have seen that the plane designation of A1 has only been used once for JB’s flights – when he flew to the UK? Otherwise, it is n/a. I enjoyed your brave story of how you got kicked out. Cheers to that flag photo, beautifully composed.

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