Pete Bungum BLOG = DENMARK TRIP -Days 26,147 (June 21) to 26,165 (July 9, 2012)

Day 26,147 was Thursday, June 21, 2012. We left Anamosa at 10 AM with Carron and Dave and went to Fairfax to have breakfast with Wesley and Celeste. To the Cedar Rapids airport by 1 AM - we flew out at 3 PM for Chicago  and departed Chicago for London at 7.25 PM.

Day 26,148 was Friday, June 22, 2012. We arrived at London Heathrow at 9.30 AM. It was  eight plus hours on the flight. I am not a good sleeper on an airplane. We flew American Airlines and every seat has their own TV movies and games so I played video poker for about five hours. They give you 200 dollars to play and I bet 5 dollars a hand. I made over 500 dollars in play money so why can't I do that at the casino - it  is one of the great mysteries in my life. Our original flight to Copenhagen was cancelled so they rebooked us on another flight. We boarded for Copenhagen at 2.30 and arrived in Copenhagen at 4.45 PM.  We went to pick up our one big suitcase and it did not arrive due to the change in our flight. We had to go to the customer support desk to report our loss of luggage. We filled out some forms so they could get Brad's address. Brad and Alexandra were there to meet us. Alexandra did not know we were coming so when Ruth Ann went out first she went nuts with happiness  and started to cry. I came out ten minutes later and she went nuts again when I came through the door. She was one happy young lady when she saw Grandma and Grandpa were there to help her celebrate  graduation from high school. We drove to Brad's house house in Taulov - over two hours  west of Copenhagen. Lene fed us some chicken lasagna -it was wonderful- we were so tired we went to bed at 10.30.

Day 26,149 was Saturday, June 23, 2012. Ruth Ann and I slept until 1.30 PM - 15 hours after we went to bed. I felt good when I got up - just what my body needed and what Ruth Ann needed. The only problem was that we had no suitcase which meant no clean underwear or shirts or socks or toothbrushes, etc. However the airport in Copenhagen had given us an emergency bathroom packet with a toothbrush and paste and deodorant and shampoo until our suitcase arrived. But Brad came to my rescue with some underwear and shirts and Ruth Ann was able to survive with her arrival clothes, at least for one more day. Today was a real fun day as it was Mathilde's (Lene's daughter) 20th birthday celebration. There were 25 guests for the party, all relatives and friends of Mathilde and Lene and Brad. We knew most of them from attending previous parties at Brad and Lenes. The guests started arriving at 4 PM. We drank and had snacks from 4-8,and then had the main courses from 8-to 9.30. Brad and Sten fixed weiners, brats, and hamburgers on the grill and Lene had salads, veggies, fruit and boiled potatoes (of course),  Then we went to the backyard for the St. Hans Summer Festival which amounts to a big bonfire that Brad had built. Usually they have a witch on a stick that they burn but this year the witchmaking guy next door (Leif) to Brad and Lene's did not have time to make one. Lene handed out words to a patriotic Danish song and all the Danes sang this song. I couldn't pronouce the words so I just hummed along. Then we returned to the house and had dessert - it was a heavily frosted birthday cake along with chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate covered pieces of licorice. It was absolutely wonderful. And, of course, everbody had to have a cup of coffee before they went home -that is the Danish custom. Most of the guests left by midnight. I stayed up until 1 AM and had a another beer with Brad, Lene, and Erland and Yrsa, (Brad and Lene's good friends.)

Erland and I had a long talk earlier in the evening. Erland is a mechanical engineer and is CEO of a company in Essen, Gemany. He was working in Denmark but his job was eliminated due to a merger so he ended up  in Germany as a CEO of an energy company. Anyway, we talked  about why the Danes are such a happy people. His view is that they have universal health and drug care and don't have to worry about going to the doctor or a hospital or pharmacy.  But his main point was that Danes learn from a young age that nobody is better than anybody else in Denmark and everybody is entitled to good average life. He said, we don't expect to live like kings and queens but all Danes should be entitled to a good average life. Those were his words. I found those words quite interesting - a good average life. He said the biggest headache for Danes was the price of gas -which is over 8.5 dollars a gallon. And there is some complaining about the high taxes, especially among the wealthiest.

Regardless of that stuff, he said, all Danes love to have a party with lots of beer and wine and food with friends and family.

I really like Denmark. I like their government and how they care about their citizens. I like their family values and how the kids are invited to most all family parties, like we had Saturday night. I like their philosophy on life that all Danes deserve a good average life. I like how they have any excuse for a party and enjoy life by having fun and having a few brews every day. And they laugh a lot, love to tell stories and sing songs.These are my kind of people - just enjoy life - each and every day. Even though Danes do not go to church that often. they are to me, some of the best Christians I know (Brad says that religion is only convenient to Danes when they use it as an excuse for a party :-).

Day 26,150, was Sunday, June 24, 2012. I slept until 1:30 PM again - 12 1/2 hours in bed after having 15 hours last night and this morning and afternoon. I must be tired from jet lag and not sleeping in Alexandria at Chuck's funeral. Anyway, I feel good today. Today was a lazy day. Brad and I took Alex to Fredericia (about 6 miles) so she could ride the train back to Copenhagen. She has her last test (ancient history) on Tuesday and she will be done with gymnasium (Danish high school.) She has bittersweet feelings about being done but is ready to move on to the next stage of life. I got my BLOG up-to-date as you can see. I stayed up until 11:30 after watching Italy beat England in soccer in overtime.

Day 26,151 is today, Monday, June 25, 2012. I slept until 12:30 PM today. I can't believe I'm sleeping like this - I had 13 hours in bed. I finally took a walk today = 40 minutes for a June total of 38.8 miles.
We are going to Randers, Denmark, later this afternoon to attend another party for Mathilde's 20th birthday with her au pair family. It is another surprise birthday party. Like I said the Danes love to have a party.

Day 27,152, Tuesday, June 26, 2012. Last night we drove to Randers (Gimming) for Mathilde's surprise party at the home of her au pair family home. Their names are Lars and Ulla and they have 3 girls, ages 12, 8, and 2. Mathilde is their au pair until next year. Ulla is an architect and Lars is a gymnastics teacher and a farmer - he is farming his parents farm. They are presently remodeling the old farm house with Ula doing a lot of the planning as she is an architect. For food we were treated to sweet corn, a salad with lots of tomatoes, some strips of chicken and pork fixed on the grill, and, of course, a heavily frosted birthday cake with fresh strawberries. Lars ands Ulla are such nice people.

Ernst, Lar's 74 year old father, took me on a tour of the 30 hectare farm. I learned there are about 2.5 acres  to a hectare so the farm is right at 75 acres. They grow wheat and rapeseed. Rape grows about 3-4 feet tall and kind of looks like a big string-bean plant that we grow in our garden. There are about 15-20 skinny looking beans on each stalk. Ernst says the beans are crushed for their oil and the oil is used in margarine and other food produicts. The leftover bean pulp is used for cattle feed. He showed me his 3 tractors; he has 2 Massey-Ferguson and another one made in Finland. I also saw the barn where Ernst used to have dairy cows, pigs and chickens. (His son Lars now has no livestock.) Ernst and his wife Inger have traveled all over the world. He said they couldn't farm in the winter months so they have traveled all over Europe, to New Zealand, Thailand, South America, Florida plus many other places. I love talking to people like this, I learn so much and just simply enjoy people.

We got home by midnight.

Day 26,152 was Tuesday, June 26, 2012. We had only 6 hours of sleep as Brad woke us at 6:30 AM so we could get going to Copenhagen by 8:30 to go meet Alexandra when she finished her final test after 3 years at Vyrum gymnasium. After a 2 hour drive we arrived at her school. In the parking lot we met Mother Inge, Grandma Ellinor, Aunt Bente, and Ole (Inge's friend.) Her final test was in ancient history at 11 AM. It was an oral test given by her classroom teacher and a second teacher from another school. We were in front of her classroom door when she came out - she had a big smile on her face because she thought she did well. In five minutes the 2 teachers opened the door and told her to come in for her results. She came out in 2 minutes with a "cap" on her head with  an even bigger smile - the teachers told her she got a 12 on the test. A 12 is like an "A" in America and she was given her "cap" which means she had officially and successfully completed her 3 years at Vyrum Gymnasium. She was ecstatic and gave everybody a hug and she couldn't quit smiling. It was over and she was one happy young lady. Brad and Lene had brought 4 roses, and Inge, Ole, Ellinor, and Bente each had a rose so each of use presented her with a rose and a hug - this is a Danish tradition. What do the "caps" look like? They are the shape of a painter's cap in America. It is white with a red band around it, a small black visor, and a circular logo on the front with a cross in it.There were sudents all over the school with the caps on - which meant they were done also - and these students were all hugging each other. The awarding of the "caps" has been a tradition for many years in Denmark.

So what happoened next? Now listen to this.We all walked to the open area in the school entry. We found a table and out came the bottles of champagne. Everybody was given a glass of champagne, including Alexandra, and many photos were taken with champagne toasts. The principal of the school stopped by to congratulate Alex and he had a glass of champagne with us.
CAN YOU IMAGINE this happening in an American high school? NO WAY? Ruth Ann and I would  still be in Anamosa but our address would change to: Pete and Ruth Ann Bungum, c/o Iowa State Penitentiary, Anamosa, IA. 52205. Every other student with a cap on was doing the same with their families and believe it or not, nobody was running around drunk. This is another Danish custom that is very different from American culture. One thing I've observed is the Danes treat their teenagers in a more adult way.

The next stop was Mother Inge and Alexandra's home. Inge had a wonderful meal of quiche, salad, bread, more champagne, wine, beer and, of course, cake with strawberries. We visited until 8
PM and made it home by 10:00.

Day 26,153 is today, June 27, 2012. Got to bed by midnight and got up at 11:30 AM. Nothing going on today so I have been getting caught up on this BLOG. I did get my walk in today = 45 minutes for a June total of 41.3 miles. I went to the bank and cashed in a $100.00 bill for KRONER -  I got 550 kroner so the exchange rate is 5.5 kroner per dollar.

Brad worked at home today and Lene was at the office in Kolding. Brad was on the phone all day. WOULD  YOU BELIEVE THIS? He made calls to his colleagues/employees in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., Paris, Shanghai, and Singapore. The name of his company is Aperian Global, he is part owner, and is one of 9 people who are "The Leadership Team."  There are 75 people employed in the company. He said the company's goal this year is to reach the 15 million dollar level.  Brad is in charge of Europe and Asia. The company is involved in cross-cultural training  - their customers are big multi-national corporations. Aperian Global trains the employees of these big companies who are going to go work in another country. In fact, they train the whole family, which includes the spouse and kids - the whole idea is to lesson the culture shock when they move to their new country. The employee is not only trained about the new culture but trained on how business is done in the new country so he/she can be a more effective business person and not do stupid things.

Day 26, 154 is Thursday, June 28, 2012. We went to bed at 10:30 last night and got up at 10:30 this morning. I got my exercise today by walking 45 minutes for 2.5 miles, in the PM I mowed Brad's big lawn for 3-4 hours and then took Hayden, Brad's and Lene's black lab, for a half hour walk. So I can honestly claim I walked at least 5.5 miles today for a June total of 46.8 miles. Tomorrow is an early day as we have to drive to Copenhagewn for Alexandra's graduation ceremony.

Day 26,155 is Friday, June 29, 2012. We awakened at 5:40 AM and were on the highway to Copenhagen by 6:40 AM. We arrived at Virum Gymnasium at 8:45 - the ceremony started at 10:00. Also in attendance was Grandma Ellinor, Mother Inge and Aunt Bente. The ceremony was all in Danish so Lene interpreted the main points for me. The ceremony was much like ours in that each of the 296 students went on stage and as their names were read the principal and assistant principal handed them a big envelope that included their diploma plus a record of their courses and grades over the three year period, including their final grade point. Alex's final grade point was 10.9 out of a perfect 12. Brad said it would be equivalent to an "A" or "A-"in the U.S. and she would definitely be in the top 5% of her class. (There is no grade of 11 - Brad doesn't know why,) The principal gave a 20 minute speech, there were some songs sung, and three different musical groups from the class performed a song. At the end the teachers came marching in from the back of the gym - leading them was one teacher on trombone and two teachers on saxophone playing "When the Saints Go Marching In." All the teachers gathered on stage and sang a song. The biggest difference between here and there is that there were no gowns - the kids could wear whatever they wanted including shorts. short shorts, dresses, jeans, skirts, etc. Instead of mortarboards they wore their caps. When the ceremony was over the students exited first and outside waiting for them were 10 small buses with  open sides and with an overhead roof. There was room for 30-31 students in each bus and they were divided according to what homeroom they belonged to - so the kids on each bus were well acquainted with each other from being together in home room for 3 years.

The students climbed into their respective buses/trucks and out came the beer, mainly Tuborg. The rest of the day was spent visiting the homes of each of the 31 students on that particular truck. Each Mom and Dad was expected to have food and something to drink (including beer. wine, or alcohol free) available when the truck arrived. Inge and Brad were the 17th stop for the truck on its journey to the homes of 31 students. The truck arrived at 7:30 PM. They were loud as they came down the street, waving to all the neighbors with cans of Tuborg in their hands. The truck stopped at the house, the sober driver removed the  endgate, then put the ladder down and out came 31 students who walked through the house to the back yard. Inge had prepared fruit cups and coffee, spiked punch, beer, and wine. Probably half had the fruit cups - they had supposedly been eating at every stop but maybe closer to the truth is they were more interested in continuing with the Tuborgs. I can truthfully say this - they were all respectful and nobody was falling down drunk - yes, they were talkative and a little loud but who wouldn't be after 7-8 hours of drinking and eating. Plus they had 14 more stops to go - I would guess they would be even more talkative and louder at the end of the 31 visits. I got a kick out of Inge when she suggested to Alexandra that maybe she should have some fruit and coffee at this stop - she did. They stayed for about 15-20 minutes - at that point the truck driver came and told them to load up because they had 14 more stops. I watched them load up and I noticed one of the students get in the cab with the driver. His home was #18 so he had to tell the truck driver how to get to his place. When the truck arrived for us Alex was in the front seat telling the driver how to get to her house. Another thing I noticed was the truck driver was drinking a can of RED BULL - I can understand as he had a long night ahead of him.

The plans were that at the 31st place (I guess it ended at 1:30 AM) they would all stay overnight - it was out in the country. Brad told me this noon that because of a dirty house the girls had a change of plans and they stayed at some girls house instead.

So what do I think about all this? First of all, these young folks are all 18-19 years old - equivalent to our college freshmen. I can remember my freshman and sophomore years at Luther and I did my share of drinking - and it was illegal and still is today. In Denmark it is not illegal to drink at this age, in fact, 16 year olds can buy beer and wine at the grocery store and you need to be 18 to buy hard liquor. Plus this is a Danish tradition and the parents approve of it - because they did the same thing when they graduated from high school so why shouldn't their kids get to do the same thing. The kids do not have to hide their drinking and having their parents approval and cooperation makes it not such a big deal.

Anyway, it was truly a learning experience for Ruth Ann and me.

Day 26,156 - Saturday, June 30, 2012. Didn't do anything today except write in this BLOG. It is time for  Tuborg.

Day 26,157 - Sunday, July 1, 2012. I walked 36 minutes =2.0 miles. I walked around the Taulov Lutheran Church and even went in the church before the  service started to check things out. The church was built in 1868. The interior is somewhat similar to ours except for one thing - there is a three foot long model of a a sailing ship hanging in the middle aisle about 12 feet above the floor. I guess the sea was pretty important in Danish history.

At 11 AM we went to Erland and Ursa's home for brunch. The food was a little different but I enjoyed
every dish. The familiar stuff was meatballs, potato salad, and lettuce salad. The different foods for us were: raw salmon on dark bread; smoked cheese on dark bread; and a noodle and shrimp mixture that I also spread on dark bread after watching what the others did. Of course, we had strong coffee and then Brad and I split a can or two of a special brew of Tuborg (5.7% alcohol - Uffda.)

I watched the first half of the European soccer championship - Italy versus Spain. Spain ws ahead 2-0  when I went to bed. Brad told me this morning that Spain won 4-0. I went to bed at 9:30 - I was tired.

Day 26,158 - July 2, 2012.  Up at 9:30 and took a 45 minute walk going left at the church and walked to the edge of town. I stopped at an office building, opened the door, stuck my head in the door and was greeted by a guy named Michael. He was a computer programmer who had ridden his bike 11 kilometers to work in Taulov from Frederica. We visited for half an hour about many things including what I was doing in Denmark. I told him my son lived in Taulov and he had gotten to Denmark when he met a girl from Denmark while being in a group called Up With People. He smiled and said, "They fell in love, didn't they?" He asked how I liked the Danish people and I said "I really like them because they are so friendly, especially after we get to know each other a little better." I told him we had been in Denmark over 15 times since 1985, he found that quite remarkable. When I told him I was 71 years old he said I looked pretty good for that age and that my exercising everyday must be good for me. He proceeded to tell me that his grandma just turned 99, still had a sharp mind but was failing some physically. He said he made her promise she would live to 100 years because then she would get a personally signed birthday card from the Queen of Denmark - and when she died he wanted to inherit that birthday card, frame it, and keep it for the rest of his life. He said there are over 800 people in Denmark over 100 years so it is not a big deal for the Queen to personally sign, maybe, 100 cards a year. I complicatd him on his english and that was the best thing I could have said to him - he liked to hear that and thanked me. We shook hands and parted our ways. I'll probably stop again before we go home - he was fun to talk to and I think he enjoyed talking to me as much as I enjoyed talking to him.

It is 1:20  PM right now - Brad is taking us to a shopping mall in Kolding so we can do some shopping and people watching.

As I write this I'm sitting on Brad and Lene's patio - it is 7:30 now.  Lene picked us from the mall at 6 PM and we got back home by 6:15. Ruth Ann and I did a little shopping; I bought a Danish-English dictionary and she bought a pair of sandals. We walked around the mall - it is huge. We spent most of our time at Bilka's which is equivalent to Walmart. That is where Ruth Ann bought her sandals and WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS? - THEY WERE MADE IN ITALY and not China or some other Asian country. They were on sale for 75 kroner, (original price was 150 kroner) so we got them for $15.00 instead of $30.00. Then we went to a fast food place and had 2 French hotdogs and a Pepsi Max for 40 kroner = U.S $8.00. A French hotdog is a foot long weiner and half a hotdog bun with a hole in it. The hole is filled with French hotdog dressing and then the weiner is jammed into it. That dressing is wonderful - that is about the only reason we eat them because they are not the healthiest things in the world. It is time for supper.

We just had Lene's wonderful chicken lasagna. I'm stuffed and ready for bed. It is still light out at 9:45 PM and will be until 11 PM and it will be light at 4 AM.  Why? Because Taulov is at 56 degrees north latitude while Anamosa is at 43 degrees north latitude. So Taulov is over 900 miles closer to the north pole.

Day 26,159 - July 3, 2012. I was up at 9:15 this morning and went with Brad to Fredericia to have his Peugeot worked on - it needed muffler repair. I met Ole Christiansen, the owner.  Brad has bought 3-4 cars from him. He is in his 30s, a very nice man, easy to talk to with good English skills, and a natural born car salesman. His Dad, 75 year old Henrik, started this Peugeot dealership, and now it is run by son Ole and his brother. He was tired today as he didn't get to bed until 2 AM - he and his wife had been to a Madonna concert in Copenhagen last night. He said Madonna performed nonstop from 10 PM to midnight, with only clothing changes. It was a great show according to Ole. He said the young kids do not like Madonna so much because she is trying to be like Lady Gaga and they just want her to be herself. Madonna is 53 and Gaga is in her 20s.

I got my walk in this afternoon. I took Hayden (their black lab) for a one hour (three mile) walk along a bike/walking path around the farm fields to the north of their house. I got lost once and didn't know whether to go left or right at a "T" intersection - thank goodness a teen girl came by and she spoke enough English to tell me to go right. She was right - I ended up at a place where I had walked yesterday so I knew how to get home. Hayden is a black lab - they are hunting dogs and they love water. When walking by a wheat field that had a water-filled ditch by it he about yanked my arm off as he jumped into the water, waded for about ten feet and then laid down to cool off. For the record Hayden peed 13 times and pooped once. When we got home I don't know if he or I were more tired. But Hayden laid down and took a nap and Pete relaxed with a Danish pilsner - so it was Hayden. By the way, Hayden is named after Hayden Fry. When Brad, Lene, and the kids decided to get a dog Brad insisted he would have the right to name it. Of course, Brad isn't a Hawkeye fan????

We went to Middlefart for dinner tonight. We ate outside at CAFE RAZZ located on the waterfront - it was a little chilly but the cafe supplies blankets on the chairs - all four of us used the blankets before we left. Brad and I had chicken sandwiches and Lene and Ruth Ann had salmon. Each was 149 kroner which equals about $30.00.  With the three beers and two glasses of wine the bill was around 1,000 kroner or in our money about $200.00. The food and setting was great but so was the bill. Then Brad and Lene took us a tour of an old castle which is now a meeting place and banquet hall for corporations

and other businesses.

Day 26,160 - July 4, 2012. It's close to a perfect day in Denmark - the temp is in the low 70s, a slight breeze and the SUN in shining. In fact, Lene was sunbathing on the back patio this morning. I took a 36 minute walk this morning = 2.0 miles for a July total of 9.3 miles.

Alexandra took the train from Copenhagen to Fredericia this morning - Brad and Ruth Ann and I picked her up - she wanted to spend some time with us so we could do more one-on-one visiting. Plus she had a break from her classmates' graduation parties. She is tired and may need a nap because she didn't get to bed until 6:00 AM this morning - the reason being she was at another graduation party last night and she danced all night. The partying will go on for another week. Alex's party is this coming Saturday at her Mom's house in Lyngby -  we'll be there.

We had burgers for supper on the south patio - to bed at 9 PM - I'm tired.  And so are Hayden and Alex, as you can see them both sleeping on the patio here, after they were both out carousing all night last night :-) : 

Day 26,161 - July 5, 2012. Another nice day in Denmark - the sun is shining at 10:30 AM and temps will be in the low 70s again today. I took a 45 minute walk this morning by the church, Brugsens grocery store and a used car dealership to the east of Brad's house. I even got up at 7:00 AM for a change - the morning air was great. When I got home I took Hayden for a poop and pee walk. I met a guy named Niels on my walk this morning. He was walking his dog so we stopped and visited. He is a retired engineer and lives at 34 Blomsterhaven a couple of blocks from here. His English was pretty good so we could easily communicate. He asked if I had seen on TV the 4th of July celebration held in northern Denmark. I said I had watched quite bit of it with my son interpreting. Niels proceeded to tell me it was a 100 year old celebration to recognize the close ties between the U.S. and Denmark. He said the Queen talked and was very proud of the great relationship between our two countries. A fun guy to talk to plus he knew where Iowa was.

This morning we are taking Alexandra to the train station in Fredericia so she can get back to Copenhagen. Then Brad, Ruth Ann and I are going to Germany to buy beer for Alex's party on Saturday night.  

It's 4 PM. We are back from Flensburg, Germany. Brad needed to buy more beer, wine and cider for Alex's party on Saturday. There will be 56 guests at the party. When he got done he had a bill of 2,000 kroner = 400 U.S. dollars. They go to Germany to buy liquor and food because it is so much cheaper. An example: Last Friday I had Brad buy a case of Carlsburg in Copenhagen as our contribution to help satisfy the thirsty taste buds of Alex's 30 classmates when their truck showed up. He paid 240 kroner for 24 cans which is 48 U.S. dollars. Today in Flensburg, Germany,  at the liquor store we could get 3 cases of Tuborg or Carlsburg for 180 kroner - that's 12 dollars a case . Now, do you see why they travel 50 minutes to Germany to buy their booze.

We left at 4:45 for Spjald in west Jutland to go to Alberte's 15th birthday party. She is Lene's niece and the daughter of sister Jette and husband Paw. They have four older sons named Simon Malte, Sebastian, Alexander and Jonathon. In attendance were Lene's other two sisters named Lisbet and husband Sten, Majbritt and husband Preben, and grandparents Jytte and Poul. The all speak English except for Grandpa Poul. It was really fun, especially talking to 23 year old Simon Malte and 21 year old Sebastian. Simon just spent 4-5 months in Vancouver, Canada with a friend skiing and drinking Canadian beer. Simon is a big guy and can hold a lot of beer. He said his friend is skinny but he could almost hold his own when it came to drinking beer. I had a good laugh at that one. Simon had worked for several years doing construction work to save money for this Canadian ski vacation. He really liked the Canadian people because they were so friendly. On August 1 Simon is leaving for Copenhagen to begin training to be a guard for the Queen's palace. He was pretty excited about that. Sebastian is a student at the University of Odense. He is studying journalism and philosophy and wants to come to the U.S. to study at a major university. Brad was giving him some tips on possible universities to apply to.

As usual, the food was great.We had brats and chicken on the grill, plus numerous salads, little boiled potatoes and, you guessed it, heavily frosted cake with fresh strawberries on top. And there were liquids like beer, wine, iced tea and strong coffee. It was a fun night and like I said before, "The Danes love to party."

Day 26,162 - July 6, 2012. I slept till 10:30 and then took a 40 minute walk = 2.2 miles for a July total of 14 miles. I'm still HIV and haven't gained any weight. I weighed 74 kilograms which is 162.8 pounds.

On my walk I went to the north part of Taulov- my goal was to say goodbye to Michael, the computer programmer I met on Monday. His bike was in front so I knew he was there. I walked in the office, we exchanged smiles and handshakes. He was happy to see me and I was happy to see him. His business partner saw us exchange greetings so he came over and introduced himself - his name is Birger Normann. Now Birger has a little bit of a protuding gut - he patted himself on his gut and said he had been eating too many burgers - notice the "u" instead of an "i". Both Michael and Birger have a good sense of humor. I told Michael I had written about him on my BLOG - so on a piece of paper I wrote out "Pete Bungum's BLOG - A Grateful Senior Citizen" - he typed it in and up came my BLOG. He smiled when he found it and I think he thought it was kind of  neat. Birger wanted to know how long my son had lived in Taulov and what he did. I explained. They talked to me about their business goals  and experiences so far - they have only been partners for several months. Then Birger went to the cabinet and came out with a gift for me. He gave me a mouse pad, post-it notes and 3 pens - all three had their company name, phone number and web address.

Day 26,163 - Saturday, July 7, 2012. Today is the day of Alexandra's graduation party at her and Mom Inge's home in Lyngby, a suburb just north ot Copenhagen. We left for Lyngby at 8:40 and arrived at 11:00 AM. We helped set up a tent for chef Stephan who was coming at 3:00 PM. The big tent was already set when we got there. They had tables and chairs all set up for 56 guests. The party started about 3:00 when the early arrivals met at a park to play games. By 4;30 everybody arrived - for the next two hours people socialized with wine, beer. soda and snacks. Chep Stephan prepared chicken, hamburgers, beef sirloin strips, hot dogs, several salads, bread, buns and a graduation cake . We ate from 6:30 to 8:30 and then the music and dancing began. We talked to a lot of the guests and had a good time. We left at 1:00 AM. The music and dancing continued until 4:00 AM. By that time the only ones left were Alexandra and her friends. The the girls went for a swim in a nearby lake. Oh, to be young again.

Day 26,164 - Sunday, July 8, 2012. We had stayed overnight at the home of Inge's friend. About 11:00 AM Brad, Lene, Ruth Ann and I went back to Inge's house and helped take down the big tent and the two little tents. We also carried all the tables and chairs out to the truck to be taken back to the rental place. Then the four of us took off for Brad and Lene's home in Taulov, a two hour drive. We unloaded and then Brad and I mowed the lawn. Lene fixed a wonderful fish supper for us accompanied by those tasty small boiled Danish potatoes plus a salad. We went to bed at 10:00 PM.

Day 26,165 - Monday, July 9, 2012. Today was the day to go home. We arose at 4:50 AM, loaded the car and drove for two hours to the  Copenhagen airport. Our flight to Helsinki was 1 1/2 hours with a two hour layover. Then it was Helsinki to Chicago for nine hours and half an hour from Chicago to Cedar Rapids. I developed a cough on the plane - I think it was from breathing that air on the plane - there were 240 passengers all spewing out their germs and I got some of them. Carron and Kathy picked us up at 7:30 and we were home about 8:15. It was great to be home but we were dog tired and severely jet lagged.




So here it is:  IPeuropa APS              +45 76 96 20 05         www.ipeuropa.dk

Check it out folks and see what these two "Great Danes" are doing.

So the bottom line is I'm glad I stopped the other day and met Michael and I'm glad I went back and met Birger today. I think Danes are great people; they are easy to talk to, they have great senses of humor and love to laugh, they like beer and wine, and they love to party. They are MY KIND OF PEOPLE - no wonder they have been declared the world's happiest people.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Days 26,145 and 26,146 in my journey through life.

Yesterday was Monday, June 19, 2012 - day 26,145. We attended another funeral yesterday, the second one in five days. The funeral was for LaVern Rickels, the other grandfather of our two grandchildren, Wesley Rickels and Ellyn Rickels Wilkerson. Lavern's son Dean was married to our daughter Carron, from 1987 to 1995. They produced two chidren in those seven years named Wesley and Ellyn. LaVern was a lifelong farmer in Jones County, Iowa. He loved farming and that is all he did his whole life. LaVern had a stroke a year ago and was on life support all that time being fed through a tude into his stomach. He never swallowed a bite of food in a year. LaVern was 87 years old - he died the same day (June 14, 2012) my brother Chuck was buried. One story worth telling is the night of the rehearsal dinner for Dean and Carron on May 1, 1987. The dinner was held in the basement at their farm house, about three miles from Anamosa. When my minister brother Paul arrived at the farm house he and his wife Nellie stepped out of their car and Nellie said, "What is that smell?" I told her it was the smell of money. She looked at me with a confused look on her face and I said, "LaVern and Marion raise hogs and that smell is from hog manure, and they make money when they sell those hogs." She accepted that and didn't say anything more about the smell, she understood what I was saying.

Grandson Wesley, who is in the Air Force in New Jersey, drove all the way to Anamosa for the funeral He was one of the pall bearers. Granddaughter Ellyn couldn't make it as she is in Wyoming on an Iowa State internship assisting a grad student from Iowa State - they are looking for shale oil in the mountains of Wyoming. Ellyn is assisting her and next yeart she will be doing what the grad lady is doing this year.

LaVern was a good man. He was the epitome of a hardworking Iowa farmer. He was content in life to do what he loved and never complained or put other people down. After Carron and Dean divorced in 1995 we remained friends with LaVern and Marion. I'm going to miss LaVern.

Today is Tuesday, June 20, 2012 - another day of heat and humidity. And I'm grateful that I'm still HIV positive.

This morning I did yoga, lifted weights and walked 45 minutes = 2.5 miles for a June total of 31.6 miles. My weight shot up to 163,8 miles - I've been going to too many funerals and eating more than I normally do.

Today we are packing our suitcases - we are heading to Denmark tomorrow to attend granddaughter Alexandra's high school graduation. In Denmark they call their high schools "gymnasiums." We are staying until July 9th. On the flight over we go Cedar Rapids to Chicago, Chicago to London Heathrow, and then to Copenhagen. On the flight home we go Copenhagen to Helsinki, Helsinki to Chicago and then to Cedar Rapids. Ruth Ann and I aren't in love with 8-9 hour flights because our butts start to ache after a couple of hours and we both have a hard time sleeping on an airplane. It is hard to sleep when your butt is hurting and it is quite inconvenient to walk on a plane.. So Pete and Ruth Ann will just have to "suck-it-up." It will be fun over there - the Danes really know how to party.
I hate to see what my weight will be when we return.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Days 26,143 and 26,144 in my journey through life.

Yesterday was Sunday, June 17, 2012 - day 26,143 in my journey. It was Father's Day and it was spent eating brunch at Wapsi Country Club and on the golf course at Fawn Creek Country Club. The kids and I have been playing golf on Father's Day for many years. Carron had to work so it was only Brad and me. I shot a 50 and Brad had a 49. I was doing decent until hole 7 when I simply went to pieces. Hole 7 is a 135 yard par 3  with a creek to go over at the 100 yard distance. I went in the creek on my first swing and chunked my second one, came up short of the green on my pitch and 3 putted. You figure up what the hell I got on that hole - it was a lot. Mom came out to the club for a beer and some food. Brad spent the first hour in the clubhouse watching Denmark get beat by Germany in the European soccer tournament. He's taken to soccer since moving there 22 years ago. We came home and watched the U.S. Open Golf Tournament in San Francisco.Today is Monday, June 18, 2012 - day 26,144 in my journey and it is a special day for Ruth Ann and me -  it is our 52nd wedding anniversary. On this day in 1960 the weather was perfect. It was so nice that all the brothers and sisters played softball on the upper terrace of our Chatfield house to pass the time that day. The wedding was at Root Prairie Lutheran Churh near Fountain, Minnesota with  Pastor Paul Bungum (my brother) and Pastor Gordon Carls, officiating. We spent our honeymoon night at the Deluxe Hotel in Rochester. Ruth Ann is still complaining because when we got to the hotel I told her I was hungry and needed something to eat. So we went next door to a restaurant and I ordered a hamburger, cole slaw and baked beans. For some reason she didn't think the beans were an appropriate food for our first night of marriage. As I look back I kinda think she was right but they sure tasted good anyway. We have no big plans for tonight - we're both so tired from traveling to brother Chuck's funeral, going to bed at 1-1:30 AM and not sleeping as well so we will do something special later in the week - like travel to Denmark.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,142 in my journey through life.

Today is Saturday, June 16, 2012 - a very hot and humid day in the 90s. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."

Thsi morning I did yoga, the exercise ball and walked 36 minutes = 2.0 miles for a June total of 27.6 miles. I didn't weigh becasue of I don't want to look at the results - too much food at Chuck's funeral.

Well, it's over. Chuck's funeral was Thursday, June 14, 2012. We left Wednesday, all four of us, at 6:40 am and made it to Alexandria by 3:30. We went to the hotel, changed clothes and went to the wake from 5 to 7 pm. Then we went to Chuck and Marlys' house and stayed until 11 pm and back to the hotel where brother John, Brad and I stayed up until 1:3- am talking about Chuck and Marlys, their kids, our family and our uncles and aunts.  On Thursday we went to the church at 1 pm and the service started at 2 pm.

It was truly a celebration of Chuck's life. All three of his kids talked about their Dad and son-in-law Jack gave a talk also. We had a lot of laughs and I was so proud of the kids for not breaking down. The organist was accompanied by son Brett, grandsons Josh and Sam on their trumpets, daughter Andrea on the cello, and daughter-in-law Cheryl sang a solo. The American Legion had two members there and they presented the flag to Marlys. Then Brett and son Sam played TAPS and the final song was Anchor's Aweigh because of Chuck's service in the U.S. Navy. I didn't lose it but I came close with TAPS and Anchor's Aweigh.

Many of us were invited back to the their home for food and refreshments. Brad and Carron were able to see 15 of their cousins - many of whom they hadn't seen in many years. We told more stories that night about Chuck and the laughter continued for many hours. Ruth Ann, Carron, Brad and I were the last to leave at 11:30 pm.

As sad as it is lose for people to lose a husband, father, father-in-law, brother, uncle, or friend I can say this was truly a "celebration of Chuck's life." The best laugh was told to us at the house when one of the kids said that Chuck had scribbled on his "end of life wishes" - which were to not be kept alive by artificial means: his words were "If all my body parts were working now you wouldn't have to be reading this." That was Chuck at his funniest. I'm going to miss this guy - miss him a lot.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26138 - 26,139 - 26,140 - 26.141 in my journey through life.

Today is Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - a cool day in the low 70s. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."

This morning I did yoga, the exercise ball and walked 48 minutes =  2.6 miles for a June total of 25.6 miles. My weight was 160.6 pounds. I won't be BLOGGING  again until Saturday when we are home from brother Chuck's funeral in Alexandria, MN.

It is starting to really hit me that brother Chuck is dead. Yesterday, I started recording some of my memories of Chuck and I growing up in the 1940s ansd 1950s in Mantorville and Dodge Center, MN. While remembering and writing them down  I started to get a little teary. I guess the realization that this is the end made it really hard to keep writing. I'm still not done and will try to finish today.I'm hoping that after the funeral we will all get together someplace and share our memories of Chuck.

This is all I'm going to write today. On Saturday I will recap the the week.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,137 in my journey through life.

Today is Monday, June 11, 2012 - A cooler day today and we even got a  little rain last night. I'm grateful for another day of  "I'm HIV."

This morning I walked 45 minutes = 2.5 miles for a June total of 23.1 miles. My weight was a 161.6 pounds.

This is going to be a hectic week. Brad is coming home tomorrow from  Denmark. He is getting in at 4:30 pm coming from Detroit. We have an 8 1/2 hour drive to Alexandria, MN to attend brother Chuck's funeral. So we will have to leave at 6 am to get there by 3 pm and then check into the motel, change clothes, and, hopefully, get to the visitation by 5 pm or so. The funeral is Thursday at 2 pm. We will leave Friday morning and stop in St. Peter, MN, to see John and Lorna's lakeside home, have lunch, and head back to Anamosa. Brad has never seen their home.

AS sad as it will be it will also be a celebration of his life. I'm sure after the funeral we will all get together at some location and do a lot of reminiscing. The cousin's will enjoy seeing each other again.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,136 in my journey through life.

Today is Sunday, June 10, 2012 - a very hot and humid day. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."

This morning I walked 20 minutes = 1.1 miles for a June total of 20.6 miles. My weight was 161.2 pounds. Sunday is my day to take it easy.

I went to 8 am church today and had coffee at 9. I talked to 92-year-old Darvin again. The latest on his love life is that he is going to see visit his girlfriend, Betty, in Onslow on Tuesday to help her celebrate her 87th birthday. She is having in many of her girlfriends  and she wants Darvin to be there so she can him off. She gave him orders to wear dress-up clothes so he will look his best. He told her he would wear his church clothes. Darvin is so happy to have found Betty for some companionship and she feels the same way about him.  And I'm happy for both of them.

I've started reading the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. I'll explain why in a future column.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,135 in my journey through life.

Today is Saturday, June 9, 2012 - a warm day with high himidity. And I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."

This morning I did yoga, the exercise ball and walked 50 minutes = 2.7 miles for a June total of 19.5 miles. My weight was at 162.0 pounds.

Well, the stress is off as far as wondering what was going to happen to brother Chuck. He died yesterday at 3:30 am and will be buried next Thursday. In many ways it is a relief becasue if he did recover he would have been a vegetable with no quality of life - plus he didn't suffer. So Thursday family and friends will celebrate his life and there is a lot to celebrate. Unfortunately, this is about the only time in recent years that the whole family gets together anymore. I know Brad and Carron will enjoy seeing all their cousins again - it has been 20 years since Carron and Brad saw some of them.

One of the things I've learned in life is that when you're down and struggling a little in life go out and "brighten someone else's day," So on my walk this morning I stopped to see Ester, my 88 year old girlfriend. She was on her deck watering flowers. She was thrilled to see me and I felt the same way. We hugged as we always do. She told me; "Pete, you are one of my favorite people on this earth - you are so nice and thoughtful to me" I told her my brother had died and she expressed her sympathy to me and Ruth Ann. Esther was just the person I needed to see today - I made her happy and she made me happy. She is so thoughtful and happy all the time. I'm fortunate to have her as a friend - she makes me feel good everytime I talk to her. Then we hugged again and I continued my walk and she went to the Farmer's Market. I "brightened Esther's day and she did the same for me."

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,134 in my journey through life.

Today is Friday, June 8, 2012 - another great day but we do need rain again. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."

Today I did yoga, lifted weights and walked 27 minutes = 1.5 miles for a June total of 16.8 miles. my weight was at 161.4 pounds.

Well, brother Chuck died about 3:30 am this morning, June 8, 2012. His daughter, Andrea, said in an email:  "There was a brief moment on Wednesday when he appeared to come awake - opened his eyes and looked at us,squeezed my hand and actually reached for mom's hand. I'm convinced he used all his energy to break through and tell us goodbye, and let us know that he knew we were all there." It makes me tear up to read this.

If there is anything positive about his death it is that he didn't have to suffer - he most likely had a few seconds of pain when it initially hit him in the casino but I would guess he had no pain the rest of the way.

The funeral will be next Thursday, June 14, 2012 in Alexandria, Minnesota. The visitation will be Wednesday from 4-7 pm. Brad called today and said he is coming home for the funeral. He's flying into Cedar Rapids next Tuesday and he'll go with us and Carron to Alexandria on Wednesday morning. Life will go on but it will be a litte different without Chuck's laugh and good sense of humor.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,133 in my journey through life.

Today is Thursday, June 7, 2012 - another great day weather wise. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."This morning I did yoga, the exercise ball and walked 45 minutes = 2.5 miles for a June total of 15.3 miles. My weight went to 161.0 pounds.

Yesterday I wrote about my brother Chuck. Chuck is 4 1/2 years older than me. He was born in July of 1936 and I was born in November of 1940. He graduated in 1954 from Chatfield High School and I graduated in 1958. My family has seven boys and three girls. Paul was born in 1927, Betty in 1928 (died from ovarian cancer in 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona), Donald in 1931, Janice in 1933, Jim in 1934, Chuck in 1936, Pete (me) in 1940, John in 1942, Karen in 1944 (died in first day of life at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester), and Mark in 1946.

Unfortunately Chuck is going to be the third one to die. Marlys, his wife, called at 2 PM today to tell me the ventilater has been removed and now nature will take over - no more life support to keep him alive. The doctors are giving him morphine so he can die painfree. He is getting liquids but no food. Marlys said his breathing is getting shallower - the doctors said it could be a matter of hours or a day or two. Marlys said she and the three kids, (Kirsten, Andrea, and Brett) have set next Thursday as the tentative funeral day.

 Chuck (4 years older) and John (2 years younger) were the two brothers I had the most experiences with growing up - and as adults. Chuck and I fought a lot as kids but as adults we had many good times with Chuck and Marlys and their 3 kids. I'm holding up quite well but I'm going to miss this big brother - I have so many memories of the two of us. But I knew it was coming and the family deaths  will continue to come as the ages of my brothers are 85, 81, 77, 72, 70, 66 and sister Jan is 79. When you have life you have death -but it is kind of hard to handle when it happens - and it is happening.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,132 in my journey through life.

Today is Wednesday, June 6, 2012 - an absolutely beautiful day - perfect. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."This morning I did yoga, lifted weights, and walked 45 minutes = 2.5 miles for a June total of 12.8 miles. My weight stayed at 161.6 pounds.

Today is a famous day in 20th century history. It was D-Day, June 6, 1944,  when over a 160,000 U.S., British and Canadian troops landed on the coast of Normandy, France to begin the retaking of Europe from the grip of Adolf Hitler's Nazis. Over 2,500 were killed the first day. The U.S. troops took the brunt of it on Omaha and Utah beaches. I've tried to imagine what was going through the minds of the troops as they headed for the beaches. I think I know what I would've been thinking - I would've been praying

Today is kind of a D-Day for me personally. My sister Jan called last night to say our brother Chuck had had a stroke. She didn't know any details. Marlys, Chuck's wife, called this morning to give us the sad details. Chuck is in a Fargo, North Dakota hospital. He had a massive stroke, is bleeding in the brain and the cavity is filling with blood, he is unconscious/unresponsive and cannot talk. Plus he is breathing heavily. It is not good and the odds of him ever coming out of this are one-in-a-million. If he does come out of it he will be a vegetable. Marlys and the kids will make a decision tomorrow as to whether they should unhook the respirator/ventilator and just him him die of natural causes. The doctors said they have done all they can and will let nature take its course. Ruth Ann and I are predicting he will not make it through tomorrow.

This is sad but I'm prepared for it in that I know that this is part of life. If he goes he will be the third of us nine kids to die. . Karen in 1944 at age six hours, Betty in 1977 at age 79 and now Chuck at age 75.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,131 in my journey through life.

Today is Tuesday, June 5, 2012 - sunnyand warm. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."

This morning I did yoga, the exercise ball and walked 36 = 2.0 miles for a June total of 10.3 miles. My weight was at l61.6 pounds.

I played golf with Paul Lewison this morning - it was best shot and we didn't have have our best game. We are just not consistent and not very good at the short.

My severely callused right foot finally needed some TLC. I had developed almost a boil-like pain under my right big toe. It affected my sleep as it would start throbbing and I would have to hang my foot over the bed to get rid of the pain. I went to a podiatrist and he shaved off the huge calluses and gave me a prescription for a powerful salve to put on it once a day. Hope it works.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,130 in my journey through life.

Today is Monday, June 4, 2012 - a nice day with temps pushing 80 degrees. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."

This morning I did yoga, lifted weights and walked 50 minutes = 2.7 miles for a June total of 8.3 miles. My weight went to 162.4 pounds.

I won't write much today as I'm going golfing shortly with Paul Lewison. Then I have several jobs around the house like vacuuming and cleaning the hardwood floor in the kitchen.

Yesterday, Anamosa was teaming with motorcyclists from around the midwest. The occasion was the Anamosa 63rd Annual Hill Climb a mile west of where we live. The hill is located on the south side of highway 151. It is really an economic boost for Anamosa as the restaurants, bars, gas stations and motels really rake in the dollars with a couple of thousand more people in town. I've met many of the cyclists and they are really nice people regardless of the stereotype many people have abnout them. Anamosa is the home to the National Motorcycle Museum so it is well-known by the motorcycle crowd. J &P Cycles, which owns the Museum, is the biggest marketer of after market parts and accessories for Harley-Davidson and all other brands of cycles. It has a worldwide business and employs over 200 people - the biggest  private business employer in Anamosa. So what I'm saying is that Anamosa is world famous as far as the motorcycle crowd in concerned.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,129 in my journey through life.

Today is Sunday, May 3, 2012 - it is a beautiful with sun and temps around 80. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."

No walk today - it is Sunday and a day of rest. My weight was at 162 pounds.

MORE THOUGHTS ON THE GOP ASSAULT ON VOTING IN AMERICA IN 2012.

In the OPINION PAGE in this morning's paper I read a piece by Leonard Pitts Jr. It was about what Florida's Republican governor and legislature are doing to voters in Florida, especially those that are Democrats, independents and Hispanics. It was about a 91-year old man in Florida. This man had to prove he was an American and elgible to vote. He was born in Brooklyn, served in WWII and got the Bronze Star for fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. Yet he had to prove he was a citizen of the U.S. Here is the rest of the story.

The man's name is Bill Internicola. Bill received a letter from the Broward County, Fla., Supervisor of
Elections informing him the office had "information from the state of Florida that you are not a citizen of the U.S.: however you are registered to vote." So Bill had to prove he was a citizen of the U.S. He sent them a copy of his Army discharge papers.

Intially, Florida claimed 180,000 were possible non-citizens. That number was eventually whittled down to 2,600 people - 385 of them have been verified as citizens - only 10 have admitted they are ineligible or asked to be removed from the voting rolls.The Miami Hersld studied the list and found it dominated by Democrats, independents, and Hispanics - they are the ones most \likely to vote for Obama. Republicans and non-Hispanics whites were least likely to have their voting rights challenged. Several studies (US. News and World Report and New York University School of Law) have studied election fraud and both found it be "rediculously low" or "extremely rare." It is  not a serious problem in the U.S. so there is no need for these draconian voter supression laws to be passed by GOP governors and legislatures. Any intelligent person can figure out what they're up to. It is sad, sad, sad and disgusting. These Republicans should be ashamed to even call themselves Americans.

Pete Bungum'd BLOG - Day 26,128 in my journey through life.

Today is Saturday, June 2, 2012. A cool day but nice - in the low 70s. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."

This morning I did yoga, the exercise ball and walked 54 minutes = 3.0 miles for a June total of 5.5 miles. My weight was 161.6 pounds.

I'm taking it easy today as far as writing anything. I spent a lot of time doing yesterday's piece on the new voter ID and obstruction laws being passed in Republican held states. It make me sick to to see what is happening in our America. We should be encouraging more people to vote instead of trying to make it harder to vote.

I'm getting all upset again so I'm signing off for today.

Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,127 in my journey through life.

Today is Friday, June 1, 2012 - a beautiful sunny day in the 70s. I'm grateful today for another day of "I'm HIV."

This morning I did yoga, lifted weights and walked 45 minutes = 2.5 miles for a June total of 2.5 miles. My weight was down to 160.8 pounds. I just might make that goal of 159 pounds, which would be only 14 pounds over my high school weight of 145 pounds.

MY THOUGHTS TODAY DEAL WITH A QUESTION I'VE HAD FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.
My question deals with politics and what is happening in this country and what has happened to the Republican Party. SO WHAT IS MY QUESTION/

My QUESTION is: In the last two years why have the Republican governors and the Republican legislatures in 25 states passed voter I.D. laws? The Republican Party was the party that promoted voter rights for all our citizens. After the Civil War it was the Republicans who added
Amendments 13, 14 and 15 to the constitution. And it was the Southern Democrats who passed the Jim Crow laws that prevented the blacks from voting for over a hundred years.

Amendment !5, adopted on March 30, 1870,  says:
Section 1. THE RIGHT OF CITIZENS OF THE U.S. TO VOTE SHALL NOT BE DENIED OR ABRIDGED BY THE U.S. OR BY ANY STATE ON ACCOUNT OF RACE, COLOR, OR PREVIOUS CONDITION OF SERVITUDE. ("abridge" means "to make less or deprive")
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

So what is the GOP doing now? They are "ABRIDGING" the voting rights of millions of Americans. And it just so happens that many of these ID laws were passed in states that had high rates of minority voter turnout in 2008 - the year America elected Barack Obama, our first African-American president.

So how is the GOP "ABRIDGING" the voting rights of the people they originally set out to help get the right to vote?  Here are the 3 main ways:
1. Laws designed to end, limit, or reduce voter registration were introduced in 13 states, including Ohio, Florida, and Illinois. Florida's law is so harsh and technical that even the League of Women Voters has stopped registering new voters there.
2. Eight states passed restrictive voter ID laws in 2011. The problem is that nearly 20 million Americans DO NOT have government-issued IDs. A disproportionate number of those 20 million are African-American, elderly, young, disabled and Senior Citizens.
3. Numerous states - including Ohio, Georgia, Florida and West Virginia - have reduced early or absentee voting periods, making it harder and harder for people just to cast a ballot.

 So what is the goal of the GOP? It is not hard to figure out what it is? From day 1 of Obama's presidency their goal was to make sure that Obama was a one-term president. They not only have refused to cooperate with Obama to solve any of America's problems but now they are going to make sure that many of the citizens who voted for Obama in 2008 are going have a much tougher time voting for him in 2012 (or even getting to cast a ballot, period.)

Some of the great Republicans of the past - like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower - would be appalled at the GOP of today. They would shake their heads and say, "What has happened to the Grand Old Party?"  I think they would be ashamed that the party that won the Civil War and granted slaves the right to vote in 1870 are now trying to make voting in America as difficult as possible and trying to keep some of our citizens from actually voting.

A couple of final thoughts. First, it is depressing to see these ID laws passed, estabishing more barriers to registering voters, and reducing early/absentee voting. This isn't the America I want nor is it the America that Lincoln, Roosevelt, or Eisenhower would have wanted. My hope is that the 20 million citizens who do not have government-issued IDs will be able to get them by election day in November. My best hope is that the Department of Justice will declare these new laws to be discriminatory and unconstitutional.