Mattes's Musings by KC2GIK

Over nine hours, 634 miles and  twenty five counties between Pete and Sue's house in Chadds Ford, PA and Lansing, MI! I got to the hotel. We did an overnight in Detroit on the way out and saw a Tigers game Delaware  CO, PA Chester CO,PA  Bucks CO,PA Dauphin CO,PA Bradford CO,PA  Fulton CO,PA Somerset Co.,PA Fayette CO,,PA Westmoreland CO PA Lawrence CO PA Mahoney CO, OH at 14:56  Manhong CO OH Portage CO OH  Trumbull CO OH Summit CO OH Cuyanuga CO OH Loraine CO OH Erie CO OH Sadusky CO OH Wood CO OH Lucas CO OH Wayne CO MI around 4PM 6/25/24 Oakland CO MI Livingston CO MI Igham CO,MI

 Well the beaches of Cape May have a welcomed addition, accessible beach mats! These make it easier for people in wheelchairs and other mobile devices to navigate down to the beaach and enjoy the ocean air. I had to try it myself before the official grand opening the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend.  At first I was a bit nervous but I soon got over the doubt and have made a few laps. The best thing is going on the beach mats provides a differemt perspective of Beach Avenue when I'm on the scooter.l Mayor Zack Mullock pushed the  beach mats on Facebook and a woman, Barbara Maurer ressponded saying her son Sean, who has Cerebral Palsy like me would be able to to enjoy bn eing closer to the water.  It's a new sense of freedom of people with mobility problems like Sean and myself. The four of us were interview by the Philadelphia CBS  news station. While I understood that due to my speech  giving long answers would be difficult I was impressed that  CBS reporter Ryan Hughes  man

       For a few months there has buzz around Cape May NJ that Bob Dylan was coming to America's Oldest Seaside Resort. No he wasn't playing a concert at Convention Hall. For most of this weeks parts of 2024 Cape May,NJ was transformed into 1965 Newport, RI. A Complete Unknown is a new film about Dylan's conversion from acoustic  to electric guitar starring Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan is in production and the location scouting team decided that  Cape May today looked like Newport back in '65. Bob Dylan debuted  his hit song Like a Rolling Stone   at t he Newport Folk Festival. They even transformed Perry Street  into Belevedere Avenue. Shops along the Washington Mall were temporarily renamed to match shops up in Newport.  The Victorian Motel was baptized then Viking Motel for the film  Days prior I started seeing filming equipment  being transported into town.       Like most o f the town I was hoping to get glimpses of the stars but  the vehicles they used in the p

In honor of Billy Joel's 75th  Birthday I decided top do a Facebook tribit   This will only make sense to a couple of my friends. I don't care. Picture this a scene certain young musical writer from NYC who is riding high on a recent success feels he needs to escape for the weekend. He has never been to the Jersey Shore and decides to take a drive to for the weekend. He arrives at his hotel in Cape May County , checks in for the evening, picks up the local rag and sees a Billy Joel Cover Band is playing in North Wildwood, the writer scoffs but his girlfriend reminds him he was once a struggling writer and he needs to "pay it forward". They go to the bar and he is so blown away by the performance he goes "Back stage" to meet the singer. The writer and the singer hit it off and go to the bar to continue the conversation. After a few drinks and covering all topics possible the singer decides the time is right to get serious and mentions he knows a local wr

I heard about the devasation of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore while I was in Florida. Once I realized this bridge repair would be a extended operation, it became my goal to record  the marine safety broadcast. Waiting for the conditions to be just right, I was su rprised when the scanner stopped on the broadcast and it was pretty clear. I have done a few records before but this remains one of  the hardest ones catches/ Not much more to say other then the victims of the collapse are definitely in m,y thoughts

 I have been keeping track of the counties I have travelled with a free  website mob-rule.com  for a few years now. I have updated it whenever I take a trip. nI got a lot of the counties when we drove home from Florida the year that  COVID hit, but picked up a bfew. I am disappointed that I couldn't p ick up the remaining few counties I need to cleann up Southern Florida but there's always next year!!  Been try ing t o use Google Docs to  type the list then transcribe them onto mob-rule! This has started a new traditon! Here' s the list from North to  South Sussex, DE Ann Ardel,MD Prince George Co,MD Worchester,MD Caroline,MD Dorchester,MD Prince William,VA Spotsylvania,VA Caroline,VA Hanover,VA Herico,VA S. Hampton, VA Prince George VA Greensville ,VA N. Hampton,NC Halifax , NC Wilson,NC Nash,  NC Johnston,NC Cumberland NC Claredon,SC Orangeburg,SC Sumter, SC  Berkley,  SC  Dillon. SC Effihan, GA Claridon.GA Liberty,GA Bryan,GA Macintosh GA Chatam GA Glynn GA De Soto,FL Vo

If we've been friends on Facebook for more than a year you'll know I have told this story countless times. However it's a story worth telling since it'sa how I started writing. I was having dinner wi th a girl from high school. on the way home we stopped by Fusco's Market to get her cigarettes and I got a root beer. I got home to find my dad sleeping on the couch while my mother and brothers were out. I went upstairs, just started typing and never stopped/ A year later she wrote in my yearbook "Just keep doing what you're doing, smiling, writing and touching my life." I have ,written articles, spoken in front of Congress, written poetry for countless people, and done so much more. I admit my writing sometimes gets me into hot water; Here it is twenty seven years later and I'm still doing what I promised her! People say my writing is a gift so it's fitting I started the night before my 19th birthday!! Cheers to 46!! (it's tomorrow)

My dad and I are in Florida for the month of March because the wnters in Cape May are horrible. I also can't stand dad complaining about the wind up there 24/7. So a few years ago my mom started looking at places to rent or even eventuall buy. We were down here during the very beginning of COVID so while we flew down, we drove back. Later it was  determined we would drive down, something my father always wanted to do. So this year my father was determined so with a lot of planning (not really) he mapped out a three  day road  trip fro, Cape May down to West Palm Beach. We took the ferry .over to Delaware and proceeded down to an overnight in North Carolina and another somewhere in Georgia. I managed to pick up seven new counties in Georgia and North Carolina. No bad if you ask me By now you're wondering what this has to do with my Grandma. Well when my grandparent got older they bought a house in Naples, Florida.   They beccame snow birds, just like most people in their seventi

Allow me to share a few thoughts about a special lady named Mary She was well known for remaining calm even when things got scary Being the oldest of five children she was like a mom before becoming a wife While she was peaceful, she fought hard when needed to make things right When Peter walked into the Howard Johhsons he knew he met his match Mom was so creative she made our Halloween coustumes from scratch A glass of wine in her hand sitting with her honey admiring their yard An amazing woman who knew raising three boys was a joy and at times hard Her heart was so big, during her life she had three dogs Tyson, Rufus and Goober Mom's laugh was so unique and easily triggered by the most minor blooper She was the happiest woman when she became grandmom to Zander and Quinn Grandmom was their loudest cheerleader when they scored a goal for the win Known for thinking outside the box, more like cutting it with a sharp knife This is how Mom known as Mary to others, lived every day of he

We lost you a year ago but I think about you everyday. Thought about writing a l;ong post but really am too sad to even write now. A lot has happened in a year! Trying to focus more on the good than the bad. Hope I'm not disappointing you too much I know you're watching out for everyone! I miss y ou so much

Like a few times before I  wrote a status update on Facebook that I thought was worthy of a cross-post on the blog. The post originally went up on the  Cape May Live Facebook page, ok I posted it. Unfortunately it was one of the few times I left  the phone home. Although on second thought other people outside the wedding were snapping pics and they looked so out of place. I I was doing my usual patrol around Cape May and came across an outdoor wedding ceremony about to start at the Inn of Cape May. I saw the groom waiting with his groomsmen and the music started. Something told me to stop! So I pulled up on the sidewalk trying not to spy too much, but other people were stopping, so I figured it was ok. Sure enough a few seconds later I_ heard the wedding march start and saw the beaming bride walking down the aisle besides her proud dad, surrounded by a close group of loved ones. I watched as the bride and groom exchanged the most poignant vows I have ever heard. Here I am in a pair o

I am writing this for all the emails I get wanting me to use their services. This is a blanket disclaimer I will send out anytime I get offers for SEO or any other marketing offers./ This is also a test to see if they really want to help or just looking for money\ I especially am bargeting those companies who write me every few days saying, "We haven't heard back from you".   Thankl you for your email... I registered "justinmattes.com" because I had lost another domain years earlier and I thought it would be  a great idea to have a customized email address. The original address did point to this blog for the longest time. T hen I decided to build a website to  display my writing and my license plate collection. I also hosted a few other projects off the website and occasionally used it as an "online storage". My writing especially because I intended to try to sell some of my poetry as well as list some of my articles published online and PDF copies of

Well like other stuff off my now defunct website, I decided to move my memorial tribute to Derick  Kessel to the blog. Every year I try to do something different, make sure the link to Bob Seger's "Still the Same" is updadted. There's not much more to say after seventeen years. I miss you Derick and feel I'm keeping my promise of never forgetting you. January 7, 2007 Dear Mr. & Mrs. Kessel, You might not recognize the return address on the outside of the envelope, but I knew Derick from Pascack Valley High School. While we weren't the closest of friends, the times we spent together are very special to me. It has been said people come in and out of our lives for a reason. I never quite could put my finger on how he came into my life unexpectedly, but I'm forever grateful he did. Derick was talking to Brian Ghem and some friends when I happened to just walk by and out of the corner of his mouth Derick mentioned something about my wheels , re