Travelogue 7: Back in Time at Spirit West River Lodge
Ever have a desire to be transported back in time? Where in the wonder and marvel of our minds and imaginations life was better? Seeking just such a place in our "new normal" post-COVID world, we were blessed to find it!
Come "walk with me" through this doorway and take a look at a wonderful hideaway - the Spirit West River Lodge, in Riverside, Wyoming!
Photo: Front Door of the Wonderful Spirit West River Lodge
With my beloved away caring for one of our grandchildren, I began to make plans for a "getaway" sometime after her return. In our typical fashion, with my pending birthday, we decided it would be a "birthday and anniversary combo" - both her birthday and mine, as well as an early celebration of our anniversary. 😉
Sparing you the "gory details" of all that I went through to find this magical place, in my phone call to make reservations, this is what I heard from Lynn, when inquiring about their COVID-19 restrictions:
"No masks or any
other requirements here.
We are not worried
about it!"
other requirements here.
about it!"
Yes! We had not met, yet I instantly knew these were our kind of people. She never even bothered to ask me any "official" questions about our COVID-19 "status." On trust and faith, she assumed we would do the right thing. And not come, if there was any potential for causing a problem.
She expected us to exercise personal responsibility. To be prudent, use common sense, and refuse to live in fear. From there, we then take life as it comes ...
With that introduction, "come on in" and let's take a closer look! 🤠
Spirit West River Lodge
On their sign and web page, Spirit West River Lodge is listed as a "bed and breakfast." Well, there are several of those in the North Platte valley. While I do not profess to be an expert on the topic, i.e. I have not visited them all, I can safely say this "bed and breakfast" stands out from the rest, as unique.
Let's start with meeting the proprietors.
The People
Without people, who cares about the rest of an enterprise? Lynn and R. G. Finney are about as authentic an American couple as you could hope to find at this time in our country's history. What a blessing it was to meet them.
First to greet us was Lynn, our hostess. One is instantly impressed with her vitality and genuine warmth and hospitality. Nothing phony or superficial about her in any way. She is the "real deal!"
Photos: Proprietor Lynn Finney, both inside and outside Spirit West River Lodge
Mentioning coming in that we had noted the sign for Riverside indicated a massive population of 52 people, she proudly told us she was a native! Her grandfather had driven teams of horses (see more in "History" below) from Cripple Creek up into this area, when there was an active copper mine nearby, in the early 1900s.
She had gotten her "start" in hospitality working alongside her grandfather on an outfitter ranch he owned west of Riverside, along the Little Snake River. She described life back then, when her grandfather and others in this area would literally "stay put" all winter long on their ranches, as they had everything they needed to get through it, while traveling "out and about" was so challenging.
Later, to "see the world," she became an airline flight attendant. During this time in her life, working out of Chicago, she met R.G., a Canadian by birth. From our limited conversation about it, they returned to Riverside, Wyoming fairly early in their marriage and have lived here since.
What about R.G.? He is a remarkable artist! Loved this introduction to him:
"After serving 13+ years in the military and being decorated seven times as a Green Beret, R.G. Finney traded his combat boots for cowboy boots and his rifle for a paintbrush."
We had the privilege to meet him. A very humble, quiet man, who talked with us in the mornings, while setting the placemats and services for our upcoming breakfast, while Lynn was working in the kitchen.
Photos: R.G.'s Painting in our room, the "Price Tag," Sculpture by Front Door
$5,240 USD. Gulp! Not an artist by any means myself, I would never think to question one's valuing of their hard work. We just knew this painting in our room was definitely outside our price range!
He has his Wind River Studios there on the property. Beyond this painting and sculpture, there were so many other examples of his artwork around the Lodge. Not always in "hive posting mode," while on our anniversary vacation, I did not capture pictures of them. You'll just have to come cheek them out and see them "for free" when you stay here!
Have I "whetted your appetite" to meet them yourself? Well, better hurry! 🙂 Lynn is one of those timeless people who it is very hard to know her age. Easily in her late 70s and more than likely her early to mid 80s. I don't know and didn't ask.
She is a remarkably robust and healthy older woman. She reminded us of a treasured memory of our meeting of my beloved's great Aunt Ruby down in a dear little town in northeastern Oklahoma in 1978. When asked what she enjoyed doing, she simply replied, "Caring for the elderly here in town."
What? 😳 At the time she was 87! When was someone going to care for her? 🤷♂ Knowing people like that, outwardly at least it seems that it never enters their mind. Aunt Ruby lived another 3 years, after our visit, and passed into eternity having lived a full and productive life. Right to the end of it.
The Place - A Bed & Breakfast!
Part of Lynn's story is how her and her father personally built so much of this place. This included all of the stone-masonry and generating logs from the sawmill on the property! You have to come here and visit to even begin to have an idea of how much work must've gone into that effort!
Photos: The "Common" Room for Weddings, Receptions, & Corporate Events
We loved all of the nice touches combining wood and stone, along with the obvious artistic talent of R.G. All "polished off" with a definite emphasis on the American West and all that represents!
Photos: Our room - the "Stagecoach Room"
Imagine being here, with windows open throughout the night, letting in the cool mountain air. And going to sleep listening to the timeless sound of water cascading down through the rocks on the Encampment River. Could not have asked for more!
In the early morning and later on in the evenings, stepping out on the deck allowed us to sit on the comfortable chairs and watch the hummingbird feeder. And wait, with anticipation, for the sightings of all the wildlife we saw.
Photo: The Deck overlooking the Encampment River
In all of these photos, I hope you'll see some of the fine details of how this family put this place together using available materials in the area. For example, do you see how the railings on the deck are branches and the posts are tree trunks?
I wish I had my camera (phone) with me, when Lynn hurriedly showed us through the other rooms on our last morning. She was in a hurry, as she needed to prepare for a big wedding party arriving later that day. If you look at their website, you will get at least some idea of the craftsmanship which went into all of the decor, making each room uniquely different from the others.
The Property
Lynn told us the story of her and her mother first envisioning what was possible, when they purchased 18 acres here along the Encampment River over 30 years ago. You are now reading through and looking at what their vision of what "could be" has become, from very humble beginnings!
Photos: Horses, "Looney Tunes," Pasture, Encampment River
From their livestock and supporting fields, to a "wild" turkey, a doe and her fawn, and a racoon and her babies, there is a lot of wildlife. The riffles we see in the river provide places for preserving the heritage of the local area's famous blue ribbon trout fishing. It is a remarkable piece of property!
- The story on "Looney Tunes" is he is "not quite right," after being "abandoned" by the flock of turkeys roaming through here once. He is now a "fixture" of the property and has been for years ...
Going "back in time," you've now seen a bit of this wonderful hideaway in a remote corner of Wyoming. Yes, a "bed and breakfast" to be sure. But ... Also a bit of a museum, an antique shop, and an art studio! We were very blessed to have experienced it.
An enduring theme across the globe is whether the fruit of the labor of one generation will be passed through to the next. In the case of the Spirit West River Lodge, it may, as we had the opportunity to meet Lynn and R.G.'s oldest son, who was visiting from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was in the process of working through the details of how to move back to the land of his birth!
To be continued (hopefully) ... 👍 🙂
Local History
As mentioned above, Lynn Finney is a native of this area. Her grandfather drove teams of horses from Cripple Creek, Colorado up into this area, when the Ferris-Haggarty Mine was in its glory days. It featured the longest aerial tramway in the world, at that time!
Photos: Painting in our room commemorating Lynn's grandfather
The "boom and bust" cycles of mining are well-known to me, having spent my "old life" for almost 20 years working in the industry. The hoped for prosperity of this area related to the development of its natural resources never materialized.
Photos: Roadside Signs for Encampment and Riverside
Rather than becoming huge industrial centers, today, as we can see, Encampment has a population of 450, while the nearby "bedroom" town of Riverside has 52!
A lot of local pride and effort has been put into the Grand Encampment Museum. If interested in more of the history of this area, while in town, this is a great resource to visit!
In spite of the challenges making a living for themselves, Lynn's family remained in the area. As mentioned briefly above, her grandfather eventually bought and operated an outfitter ranch over in the Little Snake River valley SW of Encampment.
Surrounding Country
Riverside, Wyoming sits in a high desert valley along the Encampment River, which flows north out of the Mount Zirkel Wilderness of Colorado into Wyoming.
Here we see the valley, from the south, looking northeast to the Snowy Range.
Aside from modern day recreational opportunities, the best use of this high desert country has historically been ranching. And not little "teeny, weeny" ranches either.
Photos: Big Creek Ranch and Big Creek on State Highway 130
Enormous ranches covering square miles. With some of them even having their own websites! Since some of them serve as guest ranches. I highly recommend, as a spectacular example of this country, dear reader, that you follow the link provided here to the Brush Creek Ranch website.
There are very hardy pioneering families who originally settled this country in the late 1800s. Wyoming winters are cold and long. These ranchers have to be able to get out in sub-zero temperatures, on a regular basis, to deliver feed to their livestock. The hardy Black Angus cattle favored in this country can survive the weather, if they can get to food.
Photos: Massive Estate "Ranch" SE of Saratoga
Providing another view of this high country desert and the ranches along the North Platte River, my camera (phone) was inadequate to properly capture the enormous residence you can see on zooming into this picture.
While there is no way to know for certain, I would make an educated guess this place represents enormous sums of money flowing into this area from those seeking to establish sanctuaries away from the accelerating "insanity" in some of America's urban centers.
Photos: Best Eatery? Bella's Bistro in Saratoga!
Back to our trip, as a highlight of our short getaway, we wanted to find a nice place for our anniversary dinner. Seemed the "universal" favorite of all in the North Platte Valley was Bella's Bistro in Saratoga. On a Thursday evening at 5:00 p.m., we foolishly elected to skip the "reservations are suggested" advice. Bad idea! We were not "up" for a 3-hour wait, for a nice Italian-style meal. So ... We "settled" for a very delicious burger, made from local Black Angus beef, at Firewater Public House instead! 😉
Having experienced a "taste" of what this area offers, is there anything to bring us back? Absolutely!
We spent our time on this trip going north and east of Riverside, into the Snowy Range mountains. Here we see what is south and west of Riverside. The Sierra Madre mountain range, along which the Continental Divide runs, and the Little Snake River valley, even more remote than the Snowy Range.
We'll be back!
👍 🤠 👍
👍 🤠 👍
There are few places I have ever been which provide any more authentic "feel" for what the American West is all about. If you like the same "road less traveled" style of traveling we do, then you'd be hard-pressed to do better than coming into this beautiful river valley, along the base of the Snowy Range of Wyoming.
Closing
Will my beloved and I ever return to visit Spirit West River Lodge? Is the Pope Catholic? 😉 For us, all that we desire in a peaceful little sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of modern life is there. Along with true "salt of the earth" people with whom we felt such a bond and connection. Our kind of people!
Not to mention the wonders of the surrounding countryside, as described a little bit in these last two posts. Next time, we will experience all that the Sierra Madre mountains have to offer. Compared to the Snowy Range they are more remote still!
I’d love to hear any feedback you may be inspired to provide.
Until "next time," all the best to you for a better tomorrow, as we all work together to build up our Hive Communities and add increasing value to our Hive blockchain! 👍 😊
Respectfully,
Blogger @roleerob
Hive "Dolphin" 🐬, Man Cave "Dragon" 🐉, & LeoFinance "Whale" 🐋
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P.S. Unless otherwise noted, all images are pictures taken by my smartphone - a Samsung Galaxy S9+.
🌲 No trees were harmed in the publishing of this post! 🌲
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R2R Travelogue: Recap of "@roleerob's excellent adventure!" In winter ... A recap of my "Road to Recovery" trip of a lifetime. In 31 days, I drove 4,984 miles through a part of 8 states - Colorado, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Unforgettable memories relived and new ones made! |
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Building by hand, without all the modern day restrictions telling saying you can't? That is a dream!
Seeing the painting in your photo, with the price, it really did seem steep, because I imagined it being about A4 size. Then I realised the sheer size of it in the photo with the bed! Suddenly it seemed more reasonably priced.
Yes @minismallholding ...
... you touch on a vital, but unwritten part of this experience. Here in America, "building codes" and "permits" are a way of life in the more heavily populated areas. Arguments can (and have been ...) be made, both pro and con, for them.
In these "backwater" areas of our country, however, they do not exist. We have lived in areas like this and they are part of the reason why we are "small town" people. They represent the parts of our country where the historic sanctity of life and private property still exist ...
Thers no place to escape regulation in the UK and in Australia demand for it is worse. Although there are probably places they'd struggle to even find you to regulate it here. 😆
Wow. Very sorry to hear that @minismallholding. I am not surprised to hear there is no "escape" in the UK, but definitely surprised to hear that is also the case in Australia.
Much as with America, my impressions are there is a lot of wide open country and small towns, rural spaces, etc. there. Where people should just be able to count on being left alone. Unless truly doing something illegal / immoral ...
That's funny. Here I can say for certain, as I am personally familiar with some of them, that even in areas where regulation is "required," people ignore it. Somewhat along the lines of what you are saying, here it is - "They will never catch me" ...
Maybe. Hopefully. Until the "see something, say something" slogan catches "fire" and "we the people" are happily "engaged" in enforcement ... 😏
Beautiful photographs, you can feel the tranquility of those places. Regards @roleerob.
Thank you for stopping by @manuel82 and letting me know you enjoyed this post. 🙂
Senior @roleerob, Are you saying that only 500 people live in that vast land? I thought big cities like Los Angeles, New York Manhattan, Boston and Houston were America's mecca.
By the way, are most of the American villages such a small population?
Are there only such small towns outside the big cities of America?
Wyoming is larger than the Korean Peninsula, but has a population of 500,000.
It seems difficult to see people in the real Rocky Mountains.
You are brave to walk alone in such a dangerous wasteland.
I see why there are so many beasts, criminals, ghosts, and aliens in America. hahaha
Well @silvergrifin007, to answer your question, ...
... you would have to clarify what "vast land" you are referring to. There are 500 people living in the valley shown in the picture here in this post where you find the towns of Encampment and Riverside.
The nearby (20 miles or 32 km) town of Saratoga has about 1,600 people in it. Saratoga serves as the County Seat of Carbon County, Wyoming.
The population of America's land mass is no different than Korea or any other country. There are tiny towns all the way up to massive population centers.
Yes, the state of Wyoming has one of the smallest populations of any state in America. Lots and lots of wide open spaces. And some of the most beautiful scenery ...
That B&B is exactly my type of lodgings and totally agree with you
Were there any other people staying there when you were there, or did you have the whole place to yourselves?
In our two nights there @livinguktaiwan ...
... we had one of each. The first night someone was there, with whom we shared a table the next morning for breakfast. The second night we were there by ourselves and Lynn was gracious enough, after breakfast the following morning, to give us a proud tour of the other rooms. I wish I'd captured pictures of them, but ...
Guess that just reinforces the fact we have no choice. We have to go back! 🙂
For all the shortcomings of the USA, I have to hand it to you, it is a very beautiful country. I'd like to visit one day, especially the rural side.
Yes @alexbalan ...
... we're all different of course. But for us, this has always been our preference. We prefer to see and spend time out in God's handiwork, rather than man's ...
It would be interesting to hear, from a Romanian's perspective, what those are.
I was thinking mainly about the higher levels of violence, especially gun violence which is kind of rare in Romania. I also don't like the way higher education is set up, which is biased towards richer folk. You can take loans, but I don't think that's a solution, especially if you're going to get a degree that doesn't give you access to high paying jobs.
Here, Universities are in part subsidized by the government so based on some criteria like tests, number of students, etc. some get free education while others get to pay a tuition fee and having studied at one of the best Universities and having to pay this fee for 2 out of 4 years, I can tell you it's affordable. I hear this is not the case for most US Universities.
Okay @alexbalan. Thanks. One of the aspects of my choosing to "jump in" to having any involvement whatsoever with these "virtual worlds" is the opportunity to directly interact with others all over the world.
I like that too, it's very interesting seeing how other people live and get a taste of how everybody sees the world.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on my critiques to the US, you have 100% more insight than me obviously. No country is perfect and we all have our problems that we struggle wit and try to find solutions for.
Well ... Since you ask ... 😉
The key to understanding so much of what I would have to say in response is to not believe all that you read or hear in the "common" channels of "news" today.
Why do I say that? To ask another question, before I would say more! Upon what do you base your perceptions?
Obviously, I base my perceptions on the things I see and hear either in mainstream media, things like news outlets or even mainstream social media like Twitter etc.
And also on what I hear and see on more alternative media sources like Mastodon, LBRY, etc. I also listen, or well, used to listen to a couple of podcasts.
The gun violence thing I know it's a pretty nuanced and complex subject, but higher education being expensive seemed like a widely accepted idea no matter where I looked.
Edit: Since I don't know anyone living in the US, you can probably see how, as a foreigner, I get my view shaped by what's broadcasted through all those channels. I don't say that I have a cristal clear view of the US situation, probably it's as muddy as it can be. This is just how things are unfortunately. That's why I was looking forward to talking to you, maybe you can clear some misconceptions I have. 😄
I appreciate your response here @alexbalan. Honest. "Straight up" ... 👍
That is my preference. So much so, given the state of far too much of discourse in our world today, I simply won't waste my time, very frankly, in most of it. Critical thinking and rational thought seems to be disappearing at an alarming rate ...
From there, not sure about how best to respond. These "virtual worlds" have there obvious limitations. I could wish we could sit down and have a nice chat. Over a cup of coffee ... Or over a beer ... 🙂
For now, let me start with saying (for future reference), at least from the impressions I get from your picture, I am likely old enough to be your father. My preference however? More of an older brother ... 😉
Both the questions of the American "passion" for guns, as well as their history of educating their children, have transitioned dramatically over the course of our country's history. What they were in the beginning vs. what they are today are dramatically different. And, from my experience in life, I would suggest to you they are linked.
How so? The ignorance of far too many of my own countrymen, let alone someone living in another part of the world (like ... Romania ... 😉), about their own heritage is very sad. And very sobering, as to its implication for our future.
So ... The correct view of an American citizen's ownership of guns is based upon our Second Amendment. Tied to our liberties, as defined by our Constitution. For what purpose? To defend ourselves against "bad guys?" To shoot some animals, for food or for sport? These two points are classic illustrations of how the "news" does a very effective job of "framing" the conversation about them here ...
Our Founding Fathers sacrificed blood and treasure to be free of their tyrannical rulers. To ensure future generations remained free, the Second Amendment is based upon ensuring the American people have the right to bear arms, as "the means of last resort" against a tyrannical government. Full stop. Period.
When, if ever, has a young man in Romania heard this explanation? And, upon hearing it, what is your reaction to this information? I'll reserve further comment on the education of our children, until I hear back from you on what I have written thus far.
Hi, first of all, thank you for taking some time to talk to me, I really appreciate it. I think I'm young enough to be you son, sounds about right, especially since you've just had your 44th wedding anniversary. I'm 23 so please excuse my lack of experience and knowledge if you spot it in my arguments 😄.
I do agree that probably most Romanians and perhaps most Europeans do not study American history in depth so most opinions regarding gun ownership come from a lack of understanding of historical events. I am a little bit more interested about American history and culture than some of my compatriots so I am familiar with the Second Amendment and I get the historical context and the basic reasoning behind its conception.
I am a big fan of both the First and the Second Amendments, and I hate the fact that most European countries reserve the right to suppress speech if it's deemed to be hatespeech.
If I were an American citizen I would stand up for people's rights to bear arms, in a legal framework with background checks which are already in place. I still do support this right, even though I don't have it.
However, I don't think I contradict myself when I say that the US has more crimes that involve guns than a country like Romania, proportionally to the population. I'm not saying that Romania is a more peaceful country, but most crimes don't involve guns. You can get a gun here as well, but since it's not a right guaranteed by the constitution you have meet certain criteria to qualify for gun ownership, ownership you can lose at any moment when the state decides so.
Why I've mentioned gun crime in the previous post? It's not because I fear it, if I were an US citizen I would probably never encounter it in my life, statistically. I'm mentioning it just because it's a more common problem than in my country. I hope I make sense at least a little bit. All countries have their shortcomings and compared to Romania, gun violence, though rare, is something that is definitely more prevalent in US and thus, for me, it turns into a shortcoming.
I don't have the brainpower to think of a solution, if there is any, I think like many things, gun violence is just the abuse of something that was supposed to be good. Just like freedom of speech can be abused and I don't support any restrictions on it, guns can be abused just as easily, but I don't think banning guns is beneficial in any way.
Thanks again for taking time to have this conversation and for offering me bits of your wisdom and insight into American history and culture, which I have no doubt you know more of than I do. 😄
A thoughtful and well reasoned response, my young Romanian friend! 🙂
We are in full agreement. It is beyond dispute that bad things can come from almost any direction. Freedom of speech ( freedom + responsibility = liberty, freedom - responsibility = anarchy), ownership of guns, etc. How do we solve these problems inherent in human nature?
A couple of common sayings here, as illustrations:
I really have no comment about the differences in gun-based crime in your country vs. mine. I just don't know anything about those details. I will simply say, in support of your point about statistics, that you will almost never hear in the news anything about the beneficial aspects of gun ownership. And any bad news is amplified to the max ...
Why?
My answer is the philosophical adversaries of what America stands for desperately want to disarm the American people. Again, I would personally say that is beyond dispute. Which only leaves us with asking ourselves why that would be?
As for "hate" speech? Don't get me started ... 😉
As a closely related matter (IMHO) to our "conversation" and since you both express an interest in history and appear to be a recent university graduate, you may be interested in glancing through what Wikipedia has to say about "Critical Theory." Properly understood, I believe adherents and disciples of this "social" philosophy are relentlessly advancing their agenda.
In our "new normal" post-COVID world, I would go so far as to say their advancement of this agenda is being accelerated. To what end? I don't personally believe we have long to wait to find out ...
P.S. If you don't mind my saying so, your command of the English language seems quite good! I doubt that has anything to do with the use of any sort of translation tool, but I could be wrong on that ...
Thank you, no that's no translation tool 😅. You have to thank my middle school teacher for that, she really did a wonderful job. I think I was the worst at English at some point. I've learned a lot since middle school, but one thing that remained, that she taught me, is to have confidence in my skills.
I like the second saying a lot:
I like it because it is such a simple to understand idea, yet people will argue against it. Very sound logic.
I am indeed due to graduate in September, I'll have a degree in computer science. I always liked playing with both social sciences and exact sciences, and I find that programming gives me the opportunity to do both.
I became familiar with "Critical Theory" quite recently. I knew about it and I knew about this movement that explained how everything wrong in society is just a product of those power structures.
I called that "social justice" until a few days ago when I learned about Critical Theory which is the root of all this.
As it appears to me, this ideology is not just toxic, it's dangerous. As you've said yourself: freedom+responsability=liberty, yet this ideology seeks to destroy the idea of responsability.
Suddenly it's not your fault that you made poor choices in life because there are bigger forces at play here, there are "power structures" which you can blame so you never have to take any responsibility at all.
It's never me. It's always them. There's always someone to blame for your unhappiness, your failures, etc. With this "Critical Theory" there's always a scapegoat.
It's sad to see how much this way of thinking has penetrated the minds of young people. For example, a couple of weeks ago during the George Floyd protests I was amazed to see how violence sweeped over Europe.
Even if the US had a problem with racist policemen, why do you as an European have to be violent with an European cop? I even saw some people here in Romania talking and protesting against racism and black people discrimination. Most Romanians have never seen a black person in real life, yet we somehow feel like it's our duty as white people to speak against this injustice.
We are all caught up in this victim mentality where it's always us versus them and instead of adapting to society we need to bend it around ourselves, we force it to accept us.
Alex, again a very thoughtful and well written response. You have earned my full upvote for your effort. I will follow up more, but for the time being, I wanted to get this short response out to you. Which, assuming you are asleep ... 😉 ... you'll find in the morning.
First, some quick questions:
A couple of quick suggestions / ideas:
Until next time @alexbalan, all the best to you and yours for a better tomorrow! 🙂👍
Now that you mention it, I really don't know how I found you. I think it was through @pinmapple, an account posting and boosting travel related content. I think they also have something to do with the community in which you posted the "Travelogue 6" article, which is the first one I saw from you.
I know about communities, took me some time to figure things out. I met some wonderful people over @project-hope, that's where I'm the most active. Since my posts are mainly about technology, they seem like a perfect fit. I'll check the Man Cave out, after all there's no harm in being in more than one community, right?
Regarding communism, you should keep in mind while reading this that I haven't lived during that time so all of the knowledge has been passed on to me either in history class or by parents, grandparents, etc. Unfortunately I can't give you the analysis of a first-hand experience.
You'll hear two different views on communism in Romania depending who you're asking. Some people will tell they miss those days because everyone had a job and while the food was rationed they managed. There were the people with a couple connections that sometimes got more food than they should and then there were those with no connections which simply "didn't get in time" to the grocery store and now they have to go home with only half their milk ratio or meat, etc.
Those that were able to get food either from relatives that lived in the countryside or thorough connections will most probably tell you that "people managed", but they mean their family and a couple other relatives, forgetting about those that actually lived only on the breadcrumbs provided by the communist party.
Ceausescu, the last communist leader had a dream of paying all of Romania's debt and a lot of people think that's a good thing except that an economy isn't just a zero-sum game. What's the point of having 0 debt if by the end of id you've got a hungry population that won't work and you'll have 0 money to incentivize them to.
The working class had enough when the amount of labor they had to put in every day didn't match the amount of rewards you'd get out of it. Money was pretty much useless since it couldn't buy basic things such as food.
There were also the intellectuals. My grandfather, who was a teacher, got arrested for his anti-communist ideas and was sent to forced-labor in a coal mine for a year. There was always someone following you and it was hard to trust anybody. Everybody was encouraged to collaborate with the police to report any anti-socialist/anti-communist behavior.
I think it was a really dark time and I don't think there is anything positive we took from it and implemented in our "modern version" of Romania. We struggle with corruption, which you might argue it's something that remained from communism when everybody was used to this kind of behavior for the sake of survival. Everybody was just so used to give a little money, or goods like coffee, in exchange for basic services like healthcare, education, that we grew accustomed to it.
Things are going better and better, but it's a long and tough road ahead. If there is something positive that came out of communism I can't find it.
So, I'll check out the Man Cave and I've just added you on discord. It is a pleasure talking to you, I really enjoyed our little discussion, you are a great man. 😄
Thank you for investing your time into this reply, my young Romanian friend. From it, I can discern at least a bit more about you and how you view life. It is a pleasure to "meet" you! 😉
For now, if you don't mind (I will still reply to any further comments you may choose to make, if you wish ...), I will draw this particular thread of our communication to a close with this quote from my COVID-19: Liberty vs. Safety and Security post:
These few words "cover a lot of ground" in my judgment, as far as addressing much of what we have written above. Including even beginning to touch on the subject of the education of our children. And how that is going. I mean truly how that is going ...
It appears, from first impressions, that I am "engaging" with a young man, from a country on the other side of the world from me, who is refreshingly clear-minded. From a country with personal firsthand experience with what truly happens "behind the curtain" with those who succumb to the delusion of the promise(s) of the philosophy underpinning so much of what is happening around the world right now ...
I truly wish you and yours well @alexbalan and look forward to whatever future course our "engagement" may take! 🙂
P.S. Hmmm ...
... I am really no different or better than anyone else. Except ... perhaps ... just a little bit ... older ... 😉 Seriously, making mistakes in life is an unavoidable part of it. The question is whether or not we learn anything from them. For the next time ... For we can rest assured, there will be a next time ...
I like to think I have been "paying attention." And have, as a result, learned at least a little bit. Truth be told, however, the older and "wiser" we may think we have become, the more fully we realize how far there is to go ...
Hiya, @lizanomadsoul here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #942.
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Thank you @pinmapple / @lizanomadsoul, for the honorable mention! 🙂
You are very welcome @roleerob ❤️ It was well deserved! Also, it is great to see you are supported that well! Keep up the good work!
Well, thank you @lizanomadsoul. It was quite the time - less than 72 hours. We made the most it! 🙂
But now? Back home in my "comfy chair," so we'll see when I next have the opportunity to write a "travel" post. I do enjoy writing them!
Oh no!! I was already looking forward to your next adventure 😉 I know what you mean, here its also not easy to get out, and my Mexico series will be finished soon 🤷♀️Les hope it will be easier soon! But safety first! ❤️
Yeah, this "new normal" post-COVID world we live in seems "crazy land" to us. So thankful we could escape it for a short time.
Where is "here" for you @lizanomadsoul? In Mexico?
True! I am glad that I traveled so much already in my life! - And who knows, maybe I search for old pictures from my Bolivian trip then! I 've never found the time to write about that! No, since last year I live in Germany! I guess it is better to be here than in many other countries, but I am in the south and the whole country is spending their vacation here now!... so it is really crowded. - And getting out of Germany seems a big risk as numbers are going up in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Greece, Croatia.. and any other country with nice and warm weather 😢
Very good then @lizanomadsoul. While not good anywhere, as far as I can tell anyway, I assume you are better off in Germany than in many other places where we both might be living today. In my view, the global response to this pandemic has been disastrous. And, in some countries, the consequences have been staggering ...
Like you, I have traveled extensively. In my "old life," I traveled for my employer. For almost 20 years ...
There is the key! What would it take for me to find my old pictures. Such as they are ... Somewhere in all those boxes ... In whatever state they are in ... 😉
If I ever get sufficiently motivated to answer those questions, then you might see a "surge" of new travel posts from my "comfy chair!" Hahaha ... 😉
Yes it is some key, but I don't have many videos, and the pictures are taken with my cellphone as my camera was stolen on the trip.. not sure I can keep the current quality 😅 Oh well that would be fun though to hear stories from your "old life". And yes the comfy chair may don't offer a beach view, but it is pretty safe these days. Let's just hope for the best and hive on meanwhile 😉 Congrats on your hivebuzz badge btw. The highest payout is a big achievement 👍😉
Congratulations @roleerob! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
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STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Do not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:
Wow! Unbelievable that I got this particular award!! 🙂
Just so that I am clear, is that for this particular post? I assume so, since I had no post "payout" today (or yesterday), but want to be sure.
In any case, thank you very much for letting me know, as I would (could ...) not have known otherwise! 🤠
Yes, it is this one @roleerob👍 What a great achievement! You can be very proud of yourself! Not many receive that badge 😉❤️
Very good @hivebuzz. Thank you for your confirmation! I am definitely very grateful to have this badge on my "wall" here on the Hive blockchain! 🙂
Thank you again for letting me know and for all you do to help us here on the Hive blockchain have at least some idea of what is going on inside the rich diversity of activity on it! 👍
Now we are blushing!! It is our pleasure @roleerob ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for mind revealing seeking better life.
Congratulations @roleerob! You received a personal badge!
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Do not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:
Wheeee ... Are we having fun yet? 😉
I sure think we do @roleerob😉
Happy Hive Birthday
🎈🎉🎂🎈🎉