from husband Bill, April 11, 2026

I still have my father's small case of eight-track tapes from the 1970s. I also have his tape player, but I don't think it works anymore. I will have to try it, if I ever get it out of storage.

Mystery: My dad passed away in 1997, so I will never know exactly why he had an eight-track tape by Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin). That seems so out of character for him, considering he liked to listen to James Last, Joni James, and Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass.

from husband Bill, April 11, 2026

I definitely like cheese fondue. I haven't had it in many years. I also like beef fondue and chocolate fondue.

from husband Bill, April 11, 2026

My dad spent a short time aboard a U.S. Navy submarine in the late 1950s. He served 22 years in the Navy, retiring at the rank of Commander. Of course, as a Beatles fan, I need to mention their song and movie "Yellow Submarine." When I was a kid, I liked the submarine ride at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

from husband Bill, April 11, 2026

I had pet dogs when I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s. I also had pet chameleons in the 1970s. I even had pet mice in the 1980s, when I was in my 20s. I don't have any pets now. I did have a cat as a roommate.

from husband Bill, April 11, 2026

I like the barbershop quartet episode of "I Love Lucy."

from husband Bill, April 11, 2026

Pfänder Mountain

from husband Bill, April 10, 2026

Today is the 21st anniversary of the day I proposed marriage to my wonderful wife Debbie in Austria at 11 a.m. Central European Time on April 10, 2005. I love her with all of my heart and always will.
Here are two short videos of Pfänder mountain in Bregenz, Austria, where I proposed marriage. You can see four countries from that location: Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Germany. The winter video best depicts how it was for us on that day. The summer video shows more of the mountain.

Winter

https://youtu.be/nncapeaoUYY?si=VvbCGXASoI09rQC7

Summer

https://youtu.be/fV3ET4CivAM?si=vdgzcTT8VOoEYCBb

21st Anniversary: Proposal

from husband Bill, April 10, 2026

Today is the 21st anniversary of the day I proposed marriage to my wonderful wife Debbie in Austria at 11 a.m. Central European Time on April 10, 2005. I love her with all of my heart and always will.

A few minutes after I proposed, I took this photo of the exact spot where I popped the question.

On the last of my seven visits to Austria since the early 1980s, all of which I visited my many Austrian cousins and many times skied in the snowy Austrian Alps, Debbie and I, with two of my Austrian cousins, Hans (R.I.P.) and his wife Rita, took a cable car to the top of Pfänder Mountain (altitude 1,064 meters/3,490 feet), overlooking the city of Bregenz in western Austria. Four countries can be seen from this location: Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Liechtenstein, as well as Bodensee (Lake Constance) which can be seen in the distance in this photo. I had picked this spot to propose marriage years prior, just in case I ever had the courage to ask Debbie to marry me.

While on top of the mountain, my cousins walked away to look at the snowy scenery, and I found myself alone with Debbie. I pulled out a diamond ring that I had hidden in a small, empty cardboard box that once contained my asthma medication that was in a pocket of my blue ski jacket that I was wearing. Debbie's jacket was red. I then asked her to marry me. (Obviously) she said yes, but only after a seemingly endless moment of silence.

To celebrate, my cousins Hans and Rita took us to lunch at a restaurant in nearby Schwarzenberg, Austria. We then went back to their house on the side of a mountain in nearby Dornbirn, Austria, where the four of us drank Champagne (Prosecco?) along with my cousin Markus and his mother Blanka, Hans' sister (R.I.P.).

That evening around midnight (6 p.m. Eastern Time in the United States), my new fiancée and I called our respective families in southeastern Florida to tell them the good news. Debbie and I spent the next two weeks celebrating across Austria, visiting with many of my Austrian cousins in Dornbirn, Lustenau, Salzburg, and in Grinzing, a winery village near Vienna. Ludwig Van Beethoven lived in many apartments in Grinzing. He was constantly evicted for non-payment of rent.

Debbie and I wed on February 4, 2006, and continue to live happily ever after.

By the way, the day before I proposed, Debbie and I, with two more of my Austrian cousins, Guntram and his wife Lisa, visited a church in a small village in western Austria. Outside of a church there was a small, but legendary stone monument. As per tradition, if a woman bends down and puts her knee within the stones, she will be blessed with a good husband. So, of course, I basically pleaded with Debbie to put her knee in the monument. At first, she didn't want to because it was raining. She ultimately did it. I wanted her to do it to give her a hint as to my imminent marriage proposal, but the next day atop snowy Pfänder Mountain, she was still surprised.

***

Today is the 21st anniversary of the day I proposed marriage to my wonderful wife Debbie in Austria at 11 a.m. Central European Time on April 10, 2005. I love her with all of my heart and always will. A few minutes after I proposed, I took this photo of the exact spot where I popped the question.

On the last of my seven visits to Austria since the early 1980s, all of which I visited my many Austrian cousins and many times skied in the snowy Austrian Alps, Debbie and I, with two of my Austrian cousins, Hans (R.I.P.) and his wife Rita, took a cable car to the top of Pfänder Mountain (altitude 1,064 meters/3,490 feet), overlooking the city of Bregenz in western Austria. Four countries can be seen from this location: Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Liechtenstein, as well as Bodensee (Lake Constance) which can be seen in the distance in this photo. I had picked this spot to propose marriage years prior, just in case I ever had the courage to ask Debbie to marry me.

While on top of the mountain, my cousins walked away to look at the snowy scenery, and I found myself alone with Debbie. I pulled out a diamond ring that I had hidden in a small, empty cardboard box that once contained my asthma medication that was in a pocket of my ski jacket that I was wearing. I then asked her to marry me. (Obviously) she said yes, but only after a seemingly endless moment of silence.

To celebrate, my cousins Hans and Rita took us to lunch at a restaurant in nearby Schwarzenberg, Austria. We then went back to their house on the side of a mountain in nearby Dornbirn, Austria, where the four of us drank Champagne (Prosecco?) along with my cousin Markus and his mother Blanka, Hans' sister (R.I.P.).

That evening around midnight (6 p.m. Eastern Time in the United States), my new fiancée and I called our respective families in southeastern Florida to tell them the good news. Debbie and I spent the next two weeks celebrating across Austria, visiting with many of my Austrian cousins in Dornbirn, Lustenau, Salzburg, and in Grinzing, a winery village near Vienna.

Debbie and I wed on February 4, 2006, and continue to live happily ever after.

April 10, 2026

Frittata This Morning

from husband Bill, April 10, 2026

Early this morning, my wonderful wife made this frittata for our breakfast. (photo taken by my wife)

Today Is ...

 from husband Bill, April 10, 2026

I am an old writer who used to be a young writer. I have been encouraged by older writers, and I have encouraged younger writers. In fact, one newspaper reporter once told me that, as her editor, I was also her mentor. I didn't realize it at the time, but it certainly made me feel good. I was just trying to help her to be a better writer.

I was a journalist from September 1982 to April 2017, working at many gigs, including newspapers, trade publications, and even as an editor/page designer with the supermarket tabloids (Star, Globe, National Examiner, and National Enquirer magazines) from 2002 to 2011.

I am (still) in the midst of writing an autobiographical novel loosely based on my four years as a reporter, writer, editor, and researcher, covering the technical and financial aspects of the chemical industry for an international weekly magazine based in New York City from 1992 to 1996. I will also include events throughout my entire life. I worked at four gigs in The City from 1991 to 1998 before moving to Florida.

In addition, I am (still) in the preliminary stages of self-publishing a book of self-penned poetry. I have written more than 300 poems since 1986, so I need to choose 75 of my subjectively best poems for inclusion. I have had several of my poems published in national anthologies, mostly in the 1990s, and one in 2010 with Eber & Wein Publishing company. One of my poems was published in 2022 in Eber & Wein's "Best Poets of 2021" anthology. I also had a poem published in 2021 in this company's anthology titled "Best Poets of 2020." In the 1990s, I had poems published with the National Library of Poetry.

from husband Bill, April 10, 2026

Unfortunately, I have lost touch with my stepsister. I grew up as an only child.

from husband Bill, April 10, 2026

I have eaten crescent rolls (croissants) before, but without cinnamon. I would probably like that. Croissants were first created in Austria, not France.

from husband Bill, April 10, 2026

At one time, I wanted to be a dairy farmer/cheesemaker in the mountains of western Austria.

from husband Bill, April 10, 2026

Yeah, I need to work on this.

from husband Bill, April 10, 2026

Today Is ...

from husband Bill, April 9, 2026

I would like to take this opportunity to honor my great-uncles Rocky and Phil, both of which were prisoners of war in World War II. They both were captured by the Nazis.

from husband Bill, April 9, 2026

When I was a reporter, writer, editor, photographer, and page designer for the Newburgh Evening News in Newburgh, New York, in 1989 into 1990, I would sometimes play chess with this eccentric, gray-haired gentleman in his antique store in Washingtonville, New York, when I should have been scouting for stories and photos for the newspaper. It wasn't every day and not that often.

That was my first professional (paid) journalistic gig. I was hired to start the first of three weekly community supplements to the daily newspaper. It was just me at the start; later on, I was allowed to hire four reporters. On my first day, I was given a reporter's notepad, a pen, a camera, and a map. I was told to come back in two weeks with enough stuff to fill 24 pages. My first story was an interview with the wife of my father's dear friend and fraternity brother. She was involved with a literacy council at the local library.

I lived at their home for many months, the home where my family and I would often visit when I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s. I soon got my own apartment, but I still feel bad for staying there a little longer than I should have. Staying there provided me with comfort during an incredibly stressful time of my life, so it was difficult for me to leave. I once again give massive thanks.

The Newburgh News eventually went bankrupt and closed permanently after I had left the publication. Strong competition from The Middletown Record and lesser competition from the Poughkeepsie Journal were just too much to fight against.

from husband Bill, April 9, 2026

Long ago, I thought about changing my name to:

1. Guntram Hans Mathies: first names of two of my favorite Austrian cousins, plus the maiden name of my paternal grandmother

2. Dhanteras Dasa: the name of the third day (main day) of the Hindu holiday Diwali (five-day-long "Festival of Lights"), plus "Dasa," which means "servant of God"

I have used the name Bhakta Bill Dasa, which is my representative name to show that I have a strong interest in my religion (Gaudiya Vaishnavism/Hare Krishna; Sanatana Dharma/Hinduism) without actually becoming a monk, which would require me to legally change my name, which I don't want to do.

from husband Bill, April 9, 2026

I think that I have eaten a Chinese almond cookie, but it was long ago.

from husband Bill, April 9, 2026

The unicorn is the official national animal of Scotland.

from husband Bill, April 9, 2026

Embrace the panic. LOL

from husband Bill, April 9, 2026

Happy Birthday To Bob

from husband Bill, April 8, 2026

Happy Birthday to my father-in-law (R.I.P.). We miss you more with each passing day. Here I am with Bob and my mother-in-law Lorna (R.I.P.), whom we also miss immensely, at the wedding reception for my wife and me on February 4, 2006.

Empanadas & Zoos

from husband Bill, April 8, 2026

I somewhat like empanadas.

from husband Bill, April 8, 2026

Today Is ...

from husband Bill, April 7, 2026

My favorite beer is Mohrenbräu, yes, Mohrenbräu, brewed in Dornbirn, Austria, in the westernmost province of Vorarlberg, where many of my Austrian cousins live and have lived. I first enjoyed this beer in the early 1980s on my first of seven trips to Austria to visit my many Austrian cousins and to go skiing in the Austrian Alps. I haven't tasted it in many years.

from husband Bill, April 7, 2026

I do like coffee cake, especially Entenmann’s, which I have been eating for decades, but haven't eaten in a while. The main factory was several miles from where I lived on Long Island, New York. That was starting in the 1960s, before the company went national.

from husband Bill, April 7, 2026