Well, I guess I'm easing into retirement. My only plan at first was to decompress and recalibrate my routines, and I've done a bit of both. I don't miss getting up at o-dark-thirty to face a long commute to the office, but I've kept my morning stretching and exercise routine. I had to skip most of my usual walking due to our 100-degree temperatures, but I've restarted that as the weather got back to normal. On Wednesday I put in over 13,000 steps.

I started this week's issue Monday morning and have switched from triage mode to touch-it-once for many E-Sylum emails. It feels good to stay on top of things during the week, with fewer tasks left for the weekend.

On Monday night I went to the movies, and walking into the lobby I spotted something I immediately recognized - a giant poster for the magic-coin movie "Zotz" that we discussed recently. How long had I been walking past it unknowledgeable of the coin connection?

I'd come to see the new "Young Washington" movie about the early adventures of George Washington on the western frontier, surveying virgin land, meeting indigenous people and fighting the French in and near what is now Pittsburgh, PA. I already knew a lot of the history, but it came alive on the screen with great performances by a stellar cast. Time to plan a visit to the Fort Necessity National Battlefield park in Fayette County, where young Washington's defeat ignited the French and Indian War, beginning a seven year struggle between France and Great Britain for control of North America. I understand a Revolutionary War follow-up, "1776", is already in the works.

On Tuesday I got a little numismatic work done, mapping out my schedule for the August ANA convention in Pittsburgh. For the first time in probably decades, I'll arrive on Tuesday, the first day of the show. Maybe not in time for the ribbon-cutting, but I expect to be walking the floor in the afternoon. I'll also be staying Saturday night, in order to attend the Celebration of Life for my old friend Pat McBride (aka Ben Franklin) on Sunday.

On Friday I had a short history interlude when I went for a walk in nearby Leesburg, VA. I was drawn to an old cemetery that turns out to be on the site of the first property in America deeded for a Methodist Church, back in May, 1766.

Here are some interesting non-numismatic articles I came across this week. The first discusses what seems like a thoughtful use of AI in filmmaking. The second one was a surprise for me, mentioning a song I'd discovered on Spotify and immediately hit the Like button on, not knowing a thing about it. It sounded like pure early rock and roll, but I'd never heard it before. Turns out it's even older than I am, released in March 1958. Link Wray's improvised 'Rumble' of power chords and distortion inspired scores of rockers including Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Ray Davies, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney and Neil Young, and is honored by the Library of Congress and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. First played in Fredericksburg, VA in 1957, it's getting an historical marker commemorating the occasion.

Jon Erwin Isn't Hiding from AI: The ‘Young Washington' Director on How AI Can Save Jobs and Bolster Collaboration (https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/jon-erwin-interview-ai-young-washington-innovative-dreams-1235203745/)

Virginia approves historical marker to the song that inspired a generation of rock stars (https://cardinalnews.org/2026/07/10/virginia-approves-an-historical-marker-to-the-song-that-inspired-a-generation-of-rock-stars/)

The Most Commonly Misused Words and Phrases in America (https://wordsmarts.com/most-commonly-misused-words-and-phrases/)

A California Man Took a Selfie at a Crime Scene. It Led to His Arrest. (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/us/california-burglary-arrest-selfie.html)

Who will be left to tell the tale of the Bay Area's last ghost town? (https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/bay-area-ghost-town-22330293.php)

-Editor