My Two Cents

Tempus fugit

2012-02-12T21:37:00.001-06:00

As the old saying goes: Time flies

We are all on a clock. Time to get up, time to go to work, time to go home, time to fix dinner, time to walk the dogs, time spend with the family, time to go to sleep, time to repeat. Seems like a never ending cycle.

This one's a visit to the past. I always find my life story is much better looking in the rear view mirror. Back in the 80's, we were young and full of energy. We lived in Germany and traveled all over the country when I wasn't on duty. Every weekend, we made it a point to get away from the post and explore the countryside. Of course, on a 2nd Lieutenant's pay, we didn't always travel in high style, so we drove a lot and explored the local towns/villages "on the economy" as we called it. We had a great time and I wouldn't trade it for any nights in a first class villa on the Mediterranean (OK, maybe a few nights in a nice place on the Med). One of the places we visited was Triberg, Germany. You know, in the Schwartzwald (Black Forest)? Home of some the tallest waterfall in Germany, the forest trails, the old Black Forest Museum, and, oh, yeah, the world's largest Cuckoo Clock. There are lots of shops that sell hand crafted items, but their big claim to fame is clocks. Back before there was the Internet and you had to look up things in the library, we got wind that this was a really excellent place to visit and explore for a family or young couple. Since we were only 1.5 hours north in Stuttgart, we spent a weekend down there exploring the ares. According to the "Let's Go Europe" website: Triberg is the most visited destination in the Black Forest and for good reason. The town plays host to a line of souvenir, cuckoo clock, and craft stores several hundred meters long. Cafes, bakeries, and restaurants all display signs offering "authentic" Black Forest cake to visitors. Make sure you taste this exquisite chocolate cake while you are there--you won't be disappointed!

We did Triberg on our own dime. Lots of things to see/do. Of course, if your are going to do Triberg, you absolutely must visit one of the tourist shops like Haus der 1000 Uhren (House of 1000 Clocks). There are a plethora of shops in Triberg that sell clocks and we visited a number of them. After multiple trips to Triberg with family, we came away from there with a Cuckoo Clock, an Anniversary Clock and a full blown Grandfather Clock. The Grandfather clock was a planned purchase - it breaks down into three sections that would fit into our POS Dodge Omni so that we could carry it back to our apartment and reassemble. This clock has made the trip from our apartment in Germany to our house in Dallas and finally landed here in Houston. The Cuckoo Clock has long since been retired, the Anniversary Clock is spinning away atop our piano and the Grandfather clock is still chiming away in our foyer. One of my minor chores every weekend is to wind the grandfather clock. It' a wee bit reassuring to hear it go off every 1/4 hour.

FYI - if you get one, go for an 8 day clock. The one day clock is a PITA to wind every day.

Not bad shape for a 25+ year old clock.

Blog dump

2012-02-11T20:04:00.002-06:00

Nothing monumental tonight. Cleaning up my hard drive, paying bills, playing with the dogs, playing catch up on everyone's blogs. I was posting up a few old pictures/posters I have collected over the last few months that amused me or I found interesting. I am doing some computer housekeeping while I am waiting for all my music to download (upload) to my new iPhone (yes, Mr Tightwad finally cracked open his wallet and got an iPhone 4S). Now I have to relearn how to dial a stupid phone. Let's not even talk about downloading apps or my music. Here's my first iPhone picture:

Side by side comparison of a Saint Arnolds Elissa IPA and the new Bitter Belgium at the Flying Saucer across from the AT&T store

Of course, there always has to be some dog pictures thrown in.

Boy, are my dogs tired

And, another reason why dogs are better than cats....

And, finally, this one's for Abby. I spotted this at a local brew house chain called BJ's Brewery. Their seasonal Belgium beer. I haven't had a chance to sample it, yet, but I am sure it is an excellent batch, if not a bit artsy with some real legs or character to it....

Dog treats

2012-02-10T07:34:00.000-06:00

Dogs have their own personalities. Duh. Anyone who has had a dog for more than a week has already figured that out.

My two very needy Golden Retrievers have unique, distinctive personalities. Grayson, the young one (4 years) is the wild one. He is my outgoing dog - always looking to play with other dogs. Always up for a walk, run, wrestle. High energy with a low key attitude. He can be clingy at times, but he is also a couch dog. If there isn't any food involved or the possibility of a walk, he can be found camped out on the couch/chair or perched on look out with his head propped up on the windowsill.

Napping in the sun

Camped out in his favorite ratty old chair

Claire, the senior (8+ years) is a true Velcro Golden. She is pretty much by my side most of the time. She is a low key, low energy dog with a spark of a wild side. She loves walks and running in the park, but prefers to lay around the house right in the middle of everything (she's become the speed bump in the hallway). She is an older dog that has had a few litters, so she's been around the block once or twice. She will play with Grayson (she starts it), but not many other dogs. Prefers people over other dogs.

I'm taking Claire into the shop this morning. Time for her annual exam, bordetella vaccine, heart worm testing. Her old Vet moved to Colorado, so we going to meet the head Vet at the clinic (I hate changing doctors - you have to rehash your history all over). Claire is a bit on the heavy side and I want to thin her down to avoid health issues. She will eat pretty much anything you set in front of her while Grayson is a bit more picky. She gets regular exercise and I have both dogs on the diet dog food and try to not give her treats, but with those brown eyes, it is hard to say no. I will probably have her thyroid checked again to make sure there is not any medical concerns.

I luv you

We do give our dogs treats. Not many, but a few. Anything bacon flavored is pretty much inhaled. They prefer the rawhide chews after their morning constitutional. Both dogs are not really big on toys. Terri's pictures showed Lucy Pie chowing down on a Kong, but mine have not really had any interest on those kinds of toys. Shadow (my previous Golden) was big on toys. I had all sorts of ropes, stuffed animals, pulling toys and he loved to play tug-of-war. I had a knotted rope toy that he would latch onto and I would try to get it away from him. I could pull hard and he would be locked on the other end growling the entire time. I could even pick him up off the ground still latched onto the rope. Neither one of the two new dogs have had a serious interest with those toys. It is one of the downsides of getting an older rescue dog - you don't know how they grew up or how they socialized. With Shadow, we had him as a puppy so all his quirks, traits, tricks and bad habits were all our fault. Grayson & Claire are older and don't play the same way. Some dogs live for the ball (chase, retrieve, repeat), but not these two. Still, they each have their own quirks/endearing qualities that makes them unique. One thing that they have in common is, like all Goldens, they shed constantly. I cannot count how many vacuum canisters we have emptied.

Busier

2012-02-07T21:14:00.001-06:00

than a one armed paper hanger with an itch.

I am a creature of habit. It could be my O/C personality or maybe I prefer a consistency. Every morning, it is pretty much the same routine. Wake up at 0 dark thirty, let the dogs out, fire up the coffee pot, crank up the computer, fetch the paper, let the dogs in, check my e-mails, read the online news, catch up on all my favorite blogs, check my work e-mail/schedule, answer a dozen inquiries, walk the dogs, give them their post walk chew bones, make lunch, shut down the computer, take a shower, let the dogs out one last time, jump in the car and head off to work.

This morning, when I logged onto my work account to check e-mails and get a run on the day, I saw that I had meetings scheduled from 0800 until 1700 (5:00 pm). I like to consider myself a tolerant kind of guy, but crikey, 9 hours of meetings???? One of this is probably a meeting on trying to explain why we weren't getting our projects done.

To quote Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking...

Best laid plans

2012-02-07T06:24:00.001-06:00

I had all sorts of plans in store for Sunday. Superbowl Sunday was going to cook up some sausage, set out some dip, crack open the Affligem Noel I got for Christmas, and settle back to watch the game. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Spend the afternoon touring a few potential places for a wedding/reception. First we went to our church to scope out the venue. They have a smaller chapel specifically designed for weddings/funerals. Very nice, intimate chapel that can hold up to 150 people, not including the balcony. Rebecca and Stephen were trying to find a good place to tie the knot and this looks to be a good option for their needs. There are certain limitations (no room/facilities for a reception, no alcohol, no rose petals, no rice/birdseed) but it has a certain allure. Next we drove out to a local wedding place located out in the sticks. This is an old plantation home that was converted to a bed & breakfast that was reconverted to a wedding place. Beautiful plantation home with a huge porch and balcony, lots of hardwood floors and a very nice yard/gazebo that has been set up for weddings. One of those turnkey places that will do everything from the ceremony to the send off. The kids were looking to this place for their reception. Would be a nice gig if they choose to hold it there. I think they liked the church, but they want to still explore their options for possible reception sites. This one did look nice.

Old school home

Outdoor ceremony (probably not a good idea in August)

Reception hall

Even comes with wedding cats

Got back later and Stephen was making plans to return his tux and head back north to Austin before kickoff. He had mentioned that his brake light on his car had come on Saturday, so I was going to look it over before he pulled out. Way low on brake fluid, so I topped it off hoping that was the issue. Silly Rabbit. I started rooting around under the car looking for the root cause for the low fluid when I spotted his brake line was cracked/leaking. I cannot begin to tell you the words that went through my head at that point. I can do some small automotive repairs and brakes is one I have down pretty well (I've done the brakes on his car several times), but there's no way I am letting him drive back to Austin with a leaking brake line. So I jump in the land barge and roar off to the auto parts store at 5:00 pm (kickoff was at 5:20 pm) in search of a new brake line. Able to score one and back home to start the repair job. 1.5 hours later, greasy, covered in brake fluid, I have the line replace and I am bleeding the brakes. I got the brakes fixed, but the brake light was still on despite my repairs. I looked it over and could not find what was causing the warning lights, even though the car stops on a dime. Since junior needed to get back to Austin, I gave him momma's car to drive (big old Detroit made Cadillac) until I could have his car checked out by my repair shop. He wasn't happy about driving the big car but, since his options were limited, there wasn't much choice. He found out there is a slight difference between a 4 cylinder 2.2 liter Toyota engine and a V32 Northstar Cadillac engine. He made it back to Austin in record time and I got to catch the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl. Wasn't the way I wanted to wind up my weekend, but life has a funny way of changing your plans. BTW - the light problem was a simple stuck electrical switch on the master cylinder.

89 and holding

2012-02-05T09:56:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention that my mom celebrated her 89th birthday yesterday. We went out to dinner with her and my dad and my older brother last night. Hard to keep up with those two. 88+ years old and they're still traveling the highways and byways of America in their trailer. They just got back from the valley for two weeks and will be off again in another 3 or 4. If you want to see them, you almost have to make an appointment.

89 years young and still kicking

Geez. We figure the only way we'll ever get them to slow down will be to take the wheels off their trailer.

Planning ahead

2012-02-04T12:24:00.000-06:00

It's been a long week. The weather has been sloppy of late. We still don't see anything that remotely resembles winter. Temps in the high 60s, low 70s and has been raining for a few days. It is supposed to turn colder this weekend, but we haven't really had any winter down here at all this year. Many of the trees have already started to bud out and the Bradford Pear a few blocks over is in full bloom. It has exploded with color and looks like a Dogwood. It's too early and I am afraid that winter is still waiting around the corner and we are due a hard cold snap that will really mess up the trees/plants. Even my yard has started turning greener and is full of weeds. If this keeps up, I will have to start my fertilizer schedule a month earlier than planned.

Speaking of plans, Stephen's in town for the weekend. He's in a wedding today for a high school friend and all of the ensuing prep activities. They had a rehearsal dinner last night and the ceremony is planned for this afternoon. It is great to get to spend time with him and FDIL, even if it is only for a short time. The plans for their upcoming wedding are starting to coalesce. Tomorrow we are planning to check out a few potential locations for the ceremony. One is the chapel at our old church, the other is at a plantation that specializes in wedding packages. Nothing is set in stone, yet, but the train is starting to move forward. They are planning on an early August wedding and we hope to have a lock on the date shortly. Since both families and friends are in this area, it will be a local event, not like nephew #1's wedding in Puerto Rico at a seaside resort or nephew #3's wedding in East Texas at a hunting lodge. I think this one may be a bit more domesticated, but it depends upon what the happy couple wants to to do/see. My brother and his wife have done three of these already so they are old hands at marrying off their sons. With only one offspring, this is our first and only time down this path and it looks to be an interesting year ahead. I will post progress updates as they occur.

Rundown

2012-02-01T21:35:00.001-06:00

I feel a somewhat decadent. All these years running have taken their toll on me. I've been pounding the pavement/trails for over 35+ years and I sometimes can feel all those miles.

I never ran in high school (slacker) and it wasn't until I joined the corps in college that I started to run with the outfit. No real discipline to running, the objective was to wear you down. The Army had us running in in formation in combat boots and fatigues. I actually started running seriously when I was stationed in Fort Knox, Kentucky in the winter of 1980. My roommate and I were trying to lose weight and get more exercise. He did jump rope, I did running. He would drive his 1979 Volkswagen Diesel Rabbit over to the post gym about 5 miles away, fire up the sauna, and start jumping rope for an hour. I never was coordinated enough to do that for any extended period of time, so, I would lace up and run across post over to the gym. By the time I got there, we had both worked up a sweat and we jumped into the sauna for 30 minutes. We used to pride ourselves on maxing out the temperature and time sweating in out. We'd get out after 30 minutes, jump into a cold shower and then back into the sauna for another 10. During that short 4 months at Ft Knox, I dropped 20 lbs under this routine. Of course, I made some of that back when we hit the Officer's Club on Thursday night for nickle beer night.

Ever since then, I was hooked on running. I ran while we lived in Germany. I preferred to do it solo, not with a group. When I left the Army and came back stateside, I would run off and on during the week, but not religiously. I started doing 5 & 10ks on the weekends, but, when my son came along, I gave up on those for a long while. In my old job, they had a nice workout facility with showers, but I never was a treadmill kind of guy, so I ran the country roads around the plant. I could get in a good 3-4 mile run for lunch and still make my afternoon meetings. My new place has the same kind of work out center and I try to knock out a good 3-4 mile run several times a week, as time allows. I figure it is better than sitting on my assets eating a big lunch every day.

All this running has left me sore and stiff at times. I am old enough to expect a little soreness. I figure, if I ran more, I wouldn't be as sore. Besides, that's what they made Advil for. When I have done the last few marathons, I noticed that there are massages for runners afterwards. I have always wanted to do one, but never had the time or nerve to sign up. I felt this was a bit self indulgent. I have always felt I should just cowboy up and take some more Advil and sit on my heating pad. I won a free massage at the Health Expo, and, since I have been feeling a bit sore after the half marathon, I was considering a massage. I finally decided to check out the local place near my house on Monday. I have done several chair massages, but never a full body, lay on the table, get beat up by some person while listening to tantric music. I was a total newbie and I had no concept on what to expect. I wasn't sure what I needed to do, but being an engineer, I researched it to the max and did the cost/benefit analysis. Despite my trepidation, it had a great massage. Spent an hour on the table with a young lady named Ashley who worked me over like she was kneading a loaf of bread. She stretched & kneaded & and massaged the muscles in my back and neck and legs and was able to work out a lot of my soreness/stiffness. I was highly impressed with Ashley's skill and ability - she was very adept in finding the tight spots and relieving pressure points. To me, this was a pure luxury. Something you do when you are on a cruise or at a resort. They do massages for runners/athletes to work out stiff muscles and prevent injury. I was a bit sore afterwards, but it was a good kind of pain.

They have a wellness program where you can get weekly/monthly massages for a nominal fee. It is not something I would have considered before for myself, but I am seriously considering it now. I am already making plans to book a massage after next year's half marathon (if I still run it). The question comes to mind, have you ever done a massage?

Dogs, couches and such

2012-01-29T19:57:00.001-06:00

Ever have one of those days/weeks where you cannot collect your thoughts? I have had several great award winning ideas (in my mind) for blog themes, but they never seem to make it to print.

This week, I've been all over the road. From old cars to job interviews to wedding plans to car show to furniture shopping to the Super Bowl to dog parks, I've pondered them all.

I have an old theme in the back of my mind I've been considering about my wheels. Cars I've owned/driven/worked upon since I got my license. I have something in the works, but I want to find some more pictures of my older wheels that I can share. Something for the doldrums of February, perhaps.
Job interviews - I've done a few over the last few months trying to hire a new buyer. We found one that will start in three weeks and I am looking forward to training a new buyer into our system/way of life.
Wedding plans - I mentioned that my son is tying the knot this year. They are planning for an August wedding, but they don't have an exact date. We are hoping to have something in stone by next month, but that not locked down, yet. Whenever the date, it will make for an interesting summer.
There was the car show in town this weekend. Had plans to attend and ogle the new cars and demos, but we lost track of time and did not make the show. It is always interesting to attend this show to see the latest offerings from various companies. A new set of wheels is definitely in the works this year, but we are not yet sure of which brand/model. Stephen's car is the oldest (18 years) but momma's will probably be replaced first. The land barge (mine) is the work horse and we don't yet have it on the schedule to replace. No matter what we pick, it will be an expensive proposition.
And the Super Bowl is next Sunday. Lots of hoopla this week in build up of the game. For us? We are not all that interested in the game since our team is not participating, but the super bowl hype is already starting this week. Not sure which will draw more attention. Super Bowl XLVI or the commercials that are shown in the break times. I've already seen a lot of the commercials on line, so it will be interesting to see what changes they make.
Took the two mutts to the dog park on Saturday. We're now into that empty nest syndrome without kids to shepherd around town for various games/activities and we have our own agenda. Somehow, with two very needy Goldens, we have inherited all of their energy and attention and we have a new set of "activities" to handle. Since my two mutts are housebound for most of the week, I try to take them to the dog park at least once a week. They have an absolute blast there. Grayson spends his time running from one end to the other and laying in whatever mud puddle he finds as well as the pond. If there are any doggie conflicts, he has to be a part of it. Claire is still the official greeter, licking every person in the dog park. Both had a blast at the park Saturday. I always love the park - we see the same groups/peoples at different times. There is a certain clique at dog parks, if you watch for it.
Furniture shopping - my bride has us on a mission. She wants a new couch for the living room. We haven't had a formal couch in there since the last one was bequeathed to my son for college. Now she wants something to fill the empty space. I am more of a minimalist and prefer the simpler design, but my opinion doesn't matter here. Spent a good portion of my day in the furniture store looking at expensive possibilities. Like RC, a new sofa is inevitable, it just depends upon what momma likes. Now we just have to pick out something that wont's clash with Golden Retriever.

4 years later

2012-01-23T19:57:00.002-06:00

Wow. Who’d a thunk this would have lasted this long? I guess if they keep putting up such stellar programming like Jersey Shore, Survivor, Big Brother, and DWTS year after year, this meager blog can share some of that longevity.

Occasionally, I look back to see where I've been (or, if you're paranoid, to see if anyone is following you). It is about this time of year that I mark a milestone of sorts. Actually, it is two milestones. The first being this meager excuse of a blog. This is the place I go to ramble on about this and that, share stupid/funny stories, show endless pictures of my dogs, and complain about life in general. I actually created this site back in spring of 2007 with a short coming outpost but I did not follow up with anything until almost a year later (found it hard to write something meaningful or intelligent). I started posting in earnest in January after my surgery in 2008, so I tend to mark the beginnings of this site around that time. 4 years and thousands of words later, this thing has gotten legs, albeit wobbly ones. I started out following dozens of other blog sites, each with a different theme/flavor. Some have survived, some have closed up shop, some have disappeared into the winds. I found a few favorites that I continue to follow religiously. They serve as my muse/inspiration to continue to read and post new things. I like to thank (or blame) Terri for starting this site. I've followed her saga for years from kids to work to bowling to dogs, she's had an interesting journey that keeps drawing people back for more. It was her stories and the way she spun them that inspired me to try my hand in this "blog stuff" although, I'll have to admit, I'm not as interesting or funny. I have followed other sites (Abby, Meleah, RC) as well for their stories and insights and I thank each of you for your inspiration to keep this up. Four years is not a long time, but I look back and find I have accomplished a lot. I’ve been on a cruise, I have been I've see my son graduate from college, start work and get engaged, I've traveled the world, got to meet one of my blog friends (thanks, RC), I have lost a dog but gained two more. I've survived 4 half marathons, I’ve dislocated a shoulder, I’m still driving the same old truck, bought an iPod, bought a new computer. I’ve done a lot in the last four turns around the sun. Looking back, I consider myself one lucky SOB for the opportunities I’ve had and glad to have been able to share/bore them with everyone.

My second milestone is actually the impetus for some of the stuff I accomplished above. I have made it a point to mark down on my calendar the anniversary of my surgery. For those new to this game or with short term memory, 4 years ago yesterday I purged my system, donned some fashionable hospital scrubs, and went under the knife for Prostate cancer. Was still a bit of a shock to me to be diagnosed with PC at only 50 years old. I chose the surgery path and came out the other side “prostate free”. If you are interested in some of the story, you can look back at my earlier postings. I thought, in all my postings, I had described the saga in vivid detail, but was disappointed that I hadn't shared that with the rest of the world. I actually started posting seriously while recovering from surgery and that’s where this little blog started out. Blogging was something I didn't think I had in me, but I've managed to keep at it for a good while. After the surgery, I changed my outlook on a few things. After getting diagnosed in 2007, I decided to knock off one of my bucket list items - to run a marathon. I couldn’t get in in 2008 (did not realize how far in advance you had to sign up) so I did the corresponding 5k that year. But afterwards I signed up for the ½ Marathon (because I am only ½ crazy). Been doing that shtick for 4 years now. As I mentioned earlier on my marathon posts, I run as a reminder that I am still alive. I am still pondering a full marathon at some point, but, for now, will stick with the ½ until my legs tell me different. I started traveling more for the company and it has taken me places I haven't been to before. I love to travel and have taken advantage of the trips I am assigned. Oh, sure, I may grumble and gripe about plane travel and the TSA and hotel living, but, truthfully, I love it.

I usually mark this time here by getting on my soapbox and reminding everyone to get checked out. Prostate cancer is one the leading causes of death for men just Breast cancer is with women. Last time I ran the numbers, over 280,000 men are diagnosed with Prostate cancer each year. A simple, precautionary PSA test can save you a world of grief. As I have been told and told others, this stuff is preventable, if you catch it early enough. The interesting fact I uncovered in all my research on pc was that, at some point in their lives, most men will either get prostate cancer or have it. It strikes late in life (post 50) and is usually not detected until later when something else goes wrong. Because it hits late in life and is not spotted through normal exams, men will typically die of other causes before prostate cancer will take its toll. The takeaway here is to get checked out. It is easy, relatively painless, and simple (blood test). Some guys avoid it because of the stigma/embarrassment of getting a package check. Embarrassing? Perhaps, but I am too old to GAS and besides, the risk is too big to bet farm upon. So, if you are a guy skirting 50, if you know of a guy over 50, if your brother/dad/son are getting on in years, please insist that they get checked out. Life’s too short to spent it wondering “what if”. I am a walking testament to the fact it does not have to be a fatal diagnosis. I got checked out, dealt with it and I am still here after 4 years enjoying good beer and fine scotch and life in general and I am not making plans to go anywhere just yet. End of my soapbox speech.

And I never imagined that I would have enough interesting stuff to say to fill up 4 years.

Epilog

2012-01-22T09:41:00.000-06:00

Bear with me. One more post about running. I really appreciate everyone's encouragement. I finished up with a quasi decent pace time, despite my internal misgivings. Abby (channeling her inner life coach) pointed out that I am probably my own worst critic when it comes to these things and I should accept the positive.

Will I do a 5th one? Probably. But I still want to change a few things. I want to run a better pace. This ain't my first rodeo. I know the course and I know how to prep. I should be able to beat my older times. I need to train more for longer distances. I need to build my stamina. Above all, I need to not drink as much water during the course of the run (negative side effects).

I also really want to enjoy the run more. I am so focused on beating my old times and doing well, that I tend to zone out on the sideline activities/events. At times, I will plug into my iPod and ignore all else. That's a shame, since there is a ton of stuff going on on the sidelines. I appreciate the massive crowds that cheer the runners on. My brother and his wife came out at 0800 to root me on around mile 5. I was so absorbed into my pace/run, I barely acknowledged them. I don't want to be that kind of runner. I want to enjoy the run, have fun (and still beat my old times). Some of my run pictures look like (to me) like I have gas.

A few more pictures from the race/sidelines just to show it wasn't all pain & sweat...

Many funny signs along the route

Not quite as stylish as Abby's tights

Uhh, not sure what to say

Saw lots of Golden Retrievers along the route.
This dog has been a regular supporter for the last 7 Marathons

No freakin way

Marathon TuTus?

Yes, these two were running the full Marathon like this

He may be weird, but he did pull down a good time

Extra motivation

One mile at a time

2012-01-19T06:12:00.000-06:00

Feeling all of 54. I am not as sore as I have been in the past, but that may be experience or the Advil talking. I made the run without any issues and was back home by noon. After a long run like that one, I will strive to keep moving. At my tender age, I tend to stiffen up if I sit for long periods afterwards.

Sunday's run was pretty much the way I had expected it. After 4 years, I don't need no stinkin' map to figure out the route. The route was exactly the same as last year, so I am not going to bore everyone with the mile by mile commentary. It was about the same as last year, sans the rain. The weather was chilly, but not cold. We started out at about 36 degrees, and I was sporting an old sweatshirt I had from Germany. A lot of people toss their gear within the first mile or two, so I figured that I would wear this old sweatshirt and toss it at the outset. The weather was't as cold as I had expected, so I tossed my jacket around the start, I am pretty sure that my lack of training runs really wore me down this year. My pace was good at the start, but I started to fade around mile 6. I managed to push on though the 2nd half stretch but I hit the wall at mile 10. I was able to limp along running/walking the route and when I made the turn headed back to downtown around mile 11 at 2 hours I tried to kick it up a notch. At 11 miles, that leaves me with a little over 2 miles and I could have bested my old pace if I could hold to the current pace, but I was pretty much played out. I have cramped up on past runs, with one quad cramping. but today was different. At 11, I was walking more than running. Tried to kick it into an old "airborne shuffle" to keep moving but I ran out of gas. At some point I realized that there was nothing left in the tank. As hard as I tried to kick it up, it wasn't happening. I did have enough left to run the final 1/2 mile across the finish line, but I was pretty much done. I had hoped for a little better showing and I shouldn't be too unhappy with my time (2 minutes off of last year), but I could have done better, if only I had done more training. As I had figured, I could make the distance, but what got me was the time. I try to run several times every week but those are shorter runs. Usually 3-4 miles during lunch with something longer on Fridays (if I have no afternoon meetings). I need to do longer, 12+ miles runs to build stamina to keep up the pace through the full race.

They had posted everyone's race results posted by early Sunday afternoon and pictures by Tuesday.

My brother actually decided to come down and root me on and we drove the route on Saturday. It is an different route when you drive it in a car. We cut through several areas of the downtown I would definitely not got into after dark. It was nice to have a pit crew cheering me on around mile 6. I usually do this run by my lonesome, so I get to see all the sideshows where people are cheering on their family members or loved ones. I kinda like seeing all the side support when we run the route. Of course, plugged into my iPod for the trek, I don't hear the bells, whistles, horns, music, yelling as much. It is a bit uplifting to hear people shout out your name (it is printed clearly on the bib) in encouragement as you run past. Spotted many funny signs/people along the trail. The one that stuck with me was being held up by a VERY pregnant woman that simply said: "Ron Hurry Up. I think my water broke".

They have already posted registration for next year's Marathon (01/13/2013) and I am considering going for #5 (unless I sober up).

Either you RUN the day or the day RUNS you

2012-01-15T14:48:00.000-06:00

One more in the bag and I'm still alive and kicking. Like I quoted last year: That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.

I survived my 4th round of the Half Marathon with no injuries aside of sore legs. At 2:28, not a PR, but at least I came in below 2:30 which was my quasi goal this year. Not bad considering the lack of training I've done this year and fighting the zombie flu since Christmas. Not sure yet if I am going to sign up for 2013. The mind says yes, the knees say hell no. The run was excellent. Started out clear and cold (~36 degrees) and warmed up to mid 50s by the end. Very little wind. 29,000+ runners (I forgot to include the 5K runners in my last count) stepped off at 0700. More later as I sober up.

It's all about the shirt

Begin with the End in Mind

2012-01-14T19:02:00.000-06:00

To shamelessly borrow one of Steven Covey's Seven Habits, Begin with the End In Mind.

By this time tomorrow, it will all be over except for the crying. No matter what happens tomorrow, no matter how cold or warm it is, no matter how wet or dry it is, no matter what pace I run, no matter what shape I am in, no matter what hurts, THIS is my objective:

50 yards to go

The Health Expo was over the top crazy this year. Lots of neat new toys/gear, lots of goodies to buy, stuff to see. Got my swag bag (bib, timing chip, shirt, hat) plus some energy junk for the road. Of course, the gear/clothes/accessories were really neat. Was tempting but kept my spending in check this year. A few of the shirts I spotted this year were:

My other motto

Or Whiskey

So true

Runner's joke

Abby, anyone you know?

My new motto: Run or Rust

For all you running moms out there

Hoop La La

2012-01-12T05:17:00.000-06:00

Ok, it looks like this week will be all about running.

If you read the local news rag or listen to the local news, one might assume there is some sort of big event this weekend. 2012 will mark the 40^th Anniversary for the Houston Marathon and it is tagged to be the largest single day sporting event in Houston. I mentioned that there will be ~24,000 runners on Sunday. What I did not mention that there will be close to 50,000 spectators, volunteers, coordinators on the street as well. Last year they generated close to $51.1 million in total economic impact for the city (hotels, restaurants, businesses, etc.) and the Run for a Reason charity program netted $2.1 million for local nonprofit groups.

This is actually a weekend event with a build up to Sunday’s run. The Health Expo runs Friday & Saturday generates a lot of business/crowds. In conjunction with the Marathon on Sunday, this year they will also hold qualifying trials on Saturday for the Marathon for the 2012 Olympics in London. There will be some serious runners who will participate in the trials on Saturday and then repeat the actual Marathon on Sunday. This shindig is getting lots of PR in the local news. Lots of stories are being posted every day detailing people’s reasons for running. One group is doing it to raise funds for a family where the husband and wife were killed in an auto crash earlier this year and the surviving sons were severely injured. Two years back, there was a blind Army Captain running the race (I saw him during the run). Yesterday there was the story about a woman who is an “Ultra Marathoner” – one of those people who do triathlons every weekend. She intends to run the Marathon “backwards”. Not literally backwards, but she intends to run the course from finish to start BEFORE the actual race start and then run the course with the normal runners. I may be a bit slow in the math department, but I think that translates into 52 miles. She is planning to start her backwards run at 0400 in order to make the start line before the starting gun at 0700. There are hundreds of stories why people run this thing, each with their own motivation. As I’ve said before, I do it as a sort of spiritual kick in the ass to remind me I’m still alive. The Marathon committee does push the charity donations quite heavily through their “Run For a Reason” drive. Well over 30 different charities are represented ranging from American Cancer Society to Elves andMoore to Houston SPCA to the Ronald McDonald House. This year I have set my sights for the Epilepsy Foundation, even if I don’t make the finish line. Rain, shine, run, walk, or crawl, my money is already tagged for the Epilepsy Foundation.

And for those who have expressed concern over my survival, thanks for the encouragement, but let me assure you I will survive the trek. Come Sunday morning, I may be grumpy and my knees may not speak to me come Monday, but I can make a half marathon (13.1 miles). I know that some people out there are probably scoffing about this run (or rolling their eyes loudly). I imagine for certain runners (especially those living in the mountain states), 13 miles is just a freakin’ warm up run.

Hoop La

2012-01-10T22:13:00.002-06:00

4 days and counting.

I think I have finally turned the corner on my flu and I have actually started back up running again. I don’t have much stamina, but I still intend to make the Half Marathon on Sunday (or die trying). I was freaked a bit Sunday night because I couldn’t find my race packet (usually get mailed out around December), but was able to check out my status on line. The Marathon is going “greener” this year and are not mailing out packets, instead relying upon e-mail notification to the runners. Friday & Saturday is the Health Expo where we pick up our race packets, bib numbers, and shirts. It is one of those free health fairs that has a ton of freebies and handouts plus a lot of local running stores/businesses are set up there selling their wares. A great place to buy a new set of running clothes or even a sweet pair of running shoes for ½ price. I usually wind up getting more shorts and energy bars/gels/shots for the race. A lot of people load up on those energy shots during the run to maintain energy. Two years back, a friend/co-worker who was doing the full marathon gave me some of her energy gels and those helped me out on the back end of the run. I don’t really like the Cliff Bars (too dry) and the shots are like jello cubes. I prefer the energy packets that are about 2 ounces of some pudding flavored energy concoction. .

I always find the hoopla surrounding the whole Marathon weekend legendary. Rain or shine, we will step off at 0700 Sunday morning with close to 24,000 runners (13,000 full, 11,000 half). Something about 24,000 bodies being crammed onto two downtown streets at 0600 in the morning awaiting the starting gun just gets the adrenalin going. I keep making plans to get better trained each year, but life always seems to throw me a curve each year and I find myself woefully unprepared. Last year I was able to finish up in a 2:26, but this year I am just hoping to just break 2:30. The running doesn't necessarily wear me down, it is the time. 2.5 hours of pounding the pavement gives me a lot of internal time to ponder things. I have my iPod charged & loaded up, I’ve downloaded a few new “running tunes”, and I have sorted the songs into a running category. I like to kick on the shuffle mode so I don’t know what is coming up next, but nothing will break my stride like switching from Pink to John Tesh. Even though Sunday the streets will be packed, I prefer to run by myself - I use the time to organize my thoughts, plan my day, get into arguments with myself. I find the debate takes my mind off any aches and pains I might have.

It is about this time I start watching the weather to see what it will be like on Sunday and what I need to wear. Of course, the weather is being fickle again. The weekend was beautiful, definitely not winter like. Very mild and temps in the mid-70s. Yesterday a major storm front blew through and dumping a ton of rain/hail on us. Not a pretty day for commuters, but we need the rain. A second front has settled in and the temps are down in the mid 40sand is supposed to drop the temps into the high 30s, low 40s by the weekend. I’ve run the half before when temps were in the 70s and it wasn’t pretty. A lot of people getting overheated and a lot more cramping. I would prefer to start out cold and stay in the 40s. I do layers, but I find that if I wear some cold weather gear at the start, I am usually peeling it off by the 2^nd mile. Last year it was in the mid-40s and drizzling rain. Very nasty. They even threatened to close the course if there was any lightening. The lightening never showed, but it rained off and on for the entire course and we were soaked before we made the halfway point. I think that is where I got my cold last year. This year looks to be cold and dry.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

2012-01-09T06:20:00.000-06:00

I think I may be turning the corner on this zombie flu thing. Was definitely feeling a bit better this weekend and able to get some things done.

A few weeks back, some people posted a meme about hair. Long, short, how they used to wear it, what they are into now. I like RC’s style, even if it does trend towards the wild professor look (or, perhaps, Tom Baker)? I figured that I should add my two cents to the debate.

First of all, if you have seen any recent pictures of my mug, one might infer that I am “follically challenged”. My current hair style is a conscious choice I’ve grown into over the years.

I haven’t always been this way. When I was a kid, I had long, flowing hair. Not sure what style I would label it, but it was more wavy than curly. My most distinctive feature was a cow-lick. You know, that one spot of hair that won’t be controlled by any conventional means of hair products. It kinda stood out at times (think There’s Something About Mary). When I was a cute youngster, it was cute with all my relatives and I got lots of attention. All my aunts loved to touch it. At some point, it got old. I tried to have my hair styled in high school, but it was too much hassle/maintenance for me. In high school, my inner child rebelled and I let it go long (plus my parents got tired of nagging me to get it cut). If you could picture it, I was kind of a stoner in high school with shoulder length who rode a motorcycle. The problem was that my hair tends to be oily and a PITA to maintain. I wandered aimlessly through high school with no real direction aside of graduating. When I finally picked my college, I actually fell in love with the Corps of Cadets (the ROTC unit) at A&M. With all the spirit and traditions and camaraderie, it somehow filled a niche I didn’t know I was looking for. It fit what I needed at that point in my life (that’s another blog post). Of course, being a paramilitary unit, long hair is not generally accepted so, right after I enrolled in the fall of 75, I got my first burr cut. Old style barbers on the north side of campus that have been cutting hair since WWII. Was weird at first, but I found that I kinda liked it. I kept it short during college and let it grow out a bit in the Army while in Germany, but at some point, the family genes started to catch up with me. Seems like, as life worn on, my hairline kept retreating south (or my eyebrows kept getting lower). Add that to one of those nifty “spots” on top, I figured was fighting a losing cause. Mot sure when I started getting a shorter cut in my recent days, but with the scouts, I found it easier to sport a shorter do when we did any camps or traveling. One less thing to mess with. It became a regular habit that I started to get my hair cut short before any of my road trips.

In my younger days as a aspiring drummer

You think with a haircut like mine, it would be easy to find someone to cut it. When Stephen was younger, we had a barber in a house right next door to our church. A local barber called Ray who had been cutting hair since the 60s. Ray had actually converted his garage into a two chair shop complete with barber pole. We used him for years until he retired and sold off his house and moved. We wandered for a while trying out the local chains, but didn’t find anything that we fell in love with. That is until I stumbled across a local chain called Sports Clips. I discovered this great stylist that I fell found a in love with. She was a short Vietnamese fiery woman that was barely reached 5 feet. Nihiti was a marathon runner (full marathon, I might add) and was probably all of 90 lbs. She was funny and a great stylist, but I am not sure my hair cuts were a challenge to her. She has been cutting my hair for almost 15 years and I don’t even need to tell her what I want done. She's even been cutting Stephen’s hair for years and, even though he lives in Austin, he makes it a point to get his hair cut there when he is home. I am a person of habit. When I find something I like and tend to stick with it. I wear my shoes out, I drive my cars until the wheels fall off, I will wear clothes that probably should be retired a while ago. So when I went to Sport Clips prior to my trip to Belgium, imagine my shock when they told me that Nihiti was no longer working there. I got no story of where she went or why she left, so I figured she either pissed off the wrong person, cut off someone’s ear or got fed up cutting hair. I figure it was not the latter and if I could find out where she went to, I would definitely follow her.

High school Chic (or geek?)

For now, I am in mourning. I went to my local Sport Clips chain Friday to get my hair cut by Jennifer, but it just wasn't the same. Bummer.

Don't call me, I'll call you

2012-01-06T04:49:00.002-06:00

Terri struck a nerve earlier with her post about late night phone calls. I have a particular pet peeve/phobia/paranoia over late night phone calls. Oh, sure, getting waked up out of a sound sleep is jarring enough, but it goes way deeper than that. I am the light sleeper in the house and it usually doesn’t take a lot to get me to a wide awake status (like a dog hocking up a hairball in the bedroom). For the record, I have never liked getting a phone call in the middle of the night. It never was good news.

It all starts back when I was a Lieutenant in an Armor Battalion stationed in Germany. Yea, it might have been all fun and games playing soldier over in Germany eating C-rations, getting to tear up the countryside in big, massive all-terrain vehicles (called tanks) and blowing stuff up, but we had a mission. Boil all training and drills and target practice down, our basic mission was to fill the gap if the balloon ever went up. We were stationed in Germany at the tail end of the cold war where our primary mission of the US military was to defend the eastern boarder against Russian and East Germany. There were numerous units assigned to man the borders against any possible incursion. Several units were on constant patrol on the border between East and West Germany and their task was to defend against any possible attacks. We were stationed further west in Stuttgart about 4-6 hours from the border. The drill was, if the balloon went up and the East Germans/Russians invaded Germany, we were to be the second line of defense. The border units were the first into the fray and our job was to load up our gear and tanks and head east to the border and get further orders on the road. Given the tactics of the day, our job to was to plug any gaps in the defensive line. What does all that really mean? Our job was to stand by in case the next major war started. Not to sugar coat it, but we pretty much figured that, if a conflict ever started, our life expectancy was pretty short. The proverbial elephant in the room topic that no one liked to dwell upon.

To insure operational readiness, they loved to practice getting ready at any time day or night. We had a phone tree established and everyone had at least 2-3 people to call, so if you got the call, you were to notify the next persons in the chain. When the alert was given, the Battalion commander was called first, then his S1 and next the Scout Platoon (first responders). Since the Scout Platoon leader lived upstairs from me and I was the next one in the chain to call, I sort of had a heads up on when he got his call. Of course, it wouldn’t be real practice unless they did it in the dead of night. Usually, they called around 2-3 in the morning and when the call came in, you never knew if it was the real thing, so the pucker factor was pretty high. I kept a duffel bag packed downstairs in our storage room that was my “war bag”. It had basic toiletries, a change of uniform, extra underwear, cold weather gear, a box of cigars, and a pint of scotch. I thank God I never got to use that bag, but it was always ready to go. It became a bit of paranoia with me if the phone ever went off in the middle of the night. To this day, 25+ years later, my heart skips a beat whenever I hear the distinctive ring/klaxon of a German phone. And if I get a phone call in the middle of the night, you’ll have to peal me off the ceiling.

As I came back stateside and got out of the Army, I was able to unwind some of that stress, but I still panic whenever the phone rings at night. Woe be to the poor soul who make a wrong number call to my house at 0300. I thought I was over it for the most part, but with the addition of a son to the tribe, it took on a whole new meaning. I haven’t fielded a lot of those calls, but there has been one or two (mostly for car problems). The latest one was last week. Momma has been taking care of her parents and sometimes she doesn’t get home until pretty late. Being a COF (certified old fart) who gets up early, I pretty much hit the sack by 2200. Around half past midnight, the phone went off and it had one of the distinctive rings I set up for my various family members. Suffice it to say, it scared the crap out of me. Turns out her car wouldn't start so I had to get dressed, fire up the land barge and go pick her up. I didn't mind going out to get her, was just pissed off that her car decided that midnight was a good time to break down.

I'm alive (sort of)

2012-01-02T11:11:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone was able to user in the year safely and without any major incidents (that we won't read about on Smoking Gun).

I was by my lonesome New Years' Eve. The wife spent the night at her parents (taking care of them while her sister works) and my son ushered in the new year with his girlfriend/fiance. Since I was still recovering from my flu, I wasn't in the mood to party so it was just me and the dogs watching several old movies (or a Walking Dead marathon). The dogs were a wee bit skittish from all the fireworks last night, so I sat up with them to keep them from going berserk. Actually, Claire was the calm one. As usual, whenever there is a thunderstorm or heavy rain, she just hunkers down in the corner of the closet or under the bed until it passes. I've even found her curled up in a laundry basket in the closet (interesting trick for a dog who is pushing 90+ lbs). Grayson, on the other hand, is my pacer dog. He wanders back and forth, trying to curl up in your lap one minute and then pacing the floor the next. He has even wound up curled up in the shower when things get loud.

We passed the New Year relatively quietly. For a town with a ban on fireworks, there sure was a lot of fireworks going off in and around the neighborhood. Just past midnight, somebody set off what sounded like an entire roll/string (1000) of Black Cats just down the block that made extra unhappy. I kinda miss that action - past years we would go camping with my brother and parents out in the country where fireworks are legal, heck they encourage it. We stay an RV park in the country where the ranch/park owner has a stock pond and lights off fireworks at midnight over the pond. My brother and I have been the back up show since we go out and acquire some more stuff to add to the show. We let the kids light off some of the smaller works and save the massive armaments for just us. Of course, we take plenty of precautions, even though my brother still brings up the the time I shot him with a bottle rocket over Y2K. Nothing celebrates the New Year better like blowing stuff up.

Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day - clear and in the high 60s. I think I have finally turned the corner on my illness and took advantage of mild weather to pull down the Xmas decorations. The lights come down a lot quicker than they go up, but most of my time was spent undoing the light strings and packing them away for next year. Being an Engineer, I test each string and label what side of the house it was on so that I can put them up quickly next year. I test the bulbs and toss the bad ones, check the light strings and toss the ones that are too far gone, pack up the wreaths, and fold up the soldiers and pack everything away in the attic. After being sick for so long and wasting last week entirely , I tried to make up for it yesterday - was feeling too good to slow down. Got the Xmas tree bundled up and in the attic for another year. Today I hope to tackle the leaves in the yard, if I have the energy. I've had off way too long. I feel like a sloth from eating too much, sleeping late, and being sick most of the week. I did not get anything accomplished I had intended to do and head back to work tomorrow. It will certainly be hard to get up early and face the rat race again. Maybe I can find a few left over Christmas cookies to tide me over.

Oops. My bad.

2011-12-30T15:30:00.001-06:00

This blog has sort of become like my mind at times - skipping from one topic to the next. Trying to expound upon a topic that I think others might have some interest in. I don't find myself as motivated as others might be to do a daily blog. I tend to latch onto an idea while I am out running and make a mental blog post for future reference. I actually have several old blogs in the can that I have never posted because I either left them behind or didn't think they looked good enough in the light of day. One trick I resort to has been to write my thoughts to myself in an e-mail so that I can try to compose something for later. I have actually drafted several interesting themes while sitting in one of many boring meetings.

Anyway, Abby carded my (again) about my new shoes. I should have realized that new running shoes are a big deal to Abbs. I forgot to mention I won a new set of shoes from our company last summer. The company's been on this wellness kick for the past few years. We have a sweet workout room, an on site trainer, and run a number of healthy living programs (smoking cessation, Tai Bo, Rumba, Maintain Don't Gain, Walk Across Texas, etc.). I signed up for a "Walk Across Texas" program where teams would be formed and you recorded your activity each week for 8 weeks and those were translated into equivalent mileage. Felt it was kinda hokey at the time, but since I was doing at least 3-4 runs during the week, I thought could nail the mileage thing for the group. Of course, there was one young engineer who does soccer three times a week in addition to all the other activities he does, so he pretty much smoked the course and won an iPad. Some of the top mileage winners got various nice prizes and I wound up in the top 10 group. Won a $100 gift certificate to a local running store - On the Run. I've always wanted to shop there but have been too cheap to really buy shoes/gear so this was my opportunity. I went in and actually got fitted for a new set of shoes. I rally wasn't looking for a new pair, but the opportunity availed itself and I got a new pair of shiny red ASICS Gel-Cumulus shoes. I had actually drafted an ode to my old shoes as a blog theme but thought it was too lame to post. I'm not one to splurge on "extravagances" like new shoes and I tend to hang on to the old ones way past their useful life, so this was a new step for me.

I used to run in the cheapest, most generic shoe that would fit me. Way back in my 10k days, my favorite show was a pair of Nike CL100s (no real support, just nylon and rubber). My first two half marathons and a 10k plus a number of other races and training runs were in an old pair of New Balance shoes (that I picked up at a garage sale). Those were pretty stable/light shoes that helped improve my mileage. I wore those shoes for 3-4 years and they were starting to show their age.

Tired old New Balance shoes

Last year I moved up to a new pair of ASICS I picked up from the local sporting goods chain. They seemed to improve my time last year (marginally) and I think my legs noticed the change.

Last year's addition to the fleet (ASIC Cumulus 11)

This year I'll try out the new pair to see if they help. I got the shoes back in June and have been holding them in reserve until this upcoming run. Perhaps they will help me carve off a minute off my pace, but if they merely help me survive the run, they will have earned their stripes.

My new rides (ASIC Cumulus 13)

Once more into the breach, dear friends

2011-12-29T12:13:00.000-06:00

16 days and counting.

It's getting close to the time for my annual pilgrimage to the altar of Atalanta the Greek Goddess of running. In a mere 16+ days, I get to test my knees and stamina to see if I can survive another 13.1 miles along the streets of Houston. Yes, dear friends, it is that time again for me to whine and moan about the upcoming Houston Marathon. This will be my 4th year to try and kill myself on the roadways of downtown Houston. The Houston Marathon is a bit earlier than last year on January 15th and I can honestly say that this year, I am NOT ready. I had hoped to get in training/conditioning for the run so I don't die on the trail, but this @#$&@ cold has sapped all my energy and I haven't run for almost 3-4 weeks. I want to get some miles in but I am afraid my cold will relapse, so I am laying low for the week.

Even if I am able to turn the corner on my illness, I won't have the stamina to break any records. I still intend to participate, but I am not looking to best any of my previous times. It is usually at this time that I question myself why to I do this every year? I originally set out to do this run to remind myself that I am still alive and kicking. After cancer surgery almost 4 years ago, I was determined to complete a marathon, or at least a half marathon. I don't think I still have a marathon in me, but I am fairly confident that I can do the 1/2.

It is getting harder each year to get a slot in this run. The Houston Marathon organizers have gone big time and the only way to get a slot is to sign up for a lottery. If you are a "veteran" marathoner (have completed 10 or more Marathons), you have a guaranteed slot. The only way to improve your odds in getting selected is to kick in some moola to one of the sanctioned charities (Run For A Reason). Last year I donated to the ASPCA, the year before was the American Cancer Society, and this year it is the Epilepsy Foundation. To me, even if I don't get a slot, it is my way to kick in some funds for a charity I believe in. I signed up for the lottery in the early summer and got picked when I was over in Germany, so I have had this on my calendar since July.

I did get a new pair of shoes for the run this year (won them as part of a fitness challenge at work) and I was hoping they would help improve my time. I've worn out a few shoes in my years (nothing like the number Abby has gone through), but I have always been an ASICS fan. I got a new pair last May that I have been saving for this run. Last year I broke in a new pair of ASICS but those have a few miles on them now and I want to try out the new pair for this year.

Running in the red this year

Each year, I say it will be my last, but somehow, in the post race euphoria, I talk myself into another round. Somebody stop me.

Tripping the light fantastic

2011-12-28T19:17:00.000-06:00

Still sick, but I am making the best of it. Really pisses me ff that I had plans for this week off and I am laid up trying to get over this cold/flu/cough. Buckley's is not helping all that much. It still tastes like crap and does tend to damper the coughing, but I haven't yet turned the corner. At this point, with all of the various concoctions I have taken, I might as well go back to drinking scotch and smoking cigars for all the good it has done.

Grayson napping under the tree

But enough whining about me. Let's talk about lights. I've always had a fancy for lights. From my previous years posting, one might surmise I put out a lot of lights and I tend to favor one flavor (red). Au contraire. I loves me all sorts of Christmas lights. Blinking, multicolored, bulbs, icicle lights, string lights, led lights. Lights have always held a special place for me when it comes to holiday decorations.

When we bought our first house in north Texas, I went out and bought strings of lights from the local box hardware store. Multicolored to start, but eventually, I wanted an all red theme. I would work each year to add another string to the run. I used to staple the lights to the eves of the house until one year when I stapled through one strand and shorted out the whole house. I have carried that tradition forward each year, adding one new string each year, but I have reached a certain limit around the house. Being an engineer at heart, I have even got a pattern for each string that goes up each year (left side, right side) so that I know which string goes up where. Was late getting them up this year, but when I do, it takes about 3-4 hours all told. I really have to question why I do it each year. I'm no longer the first one in the neighborhood, the kid is gone, momma is busy taking care of her folks, the dogs don't really care. Honestly, it wouldn't diminish the holidays if I didn't get them up, but somehow, it doesn't seem like Christmas to me without some lights around the hacienda.

We used to make an evening around looking at lights. One evening before Christmas, we would go out for dinner and then we would drive around looking at various Christmas lights. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, there were whole subdivisions that decorated. Some subdivisions had traffic cops out and an hour queue to drive through the various streets. Down here, we have a few certain streets in our neighborhood that band together each year for the holiday decorations. We always made the trek over each year to view the lights. One house in particular that was a regular for us was Roller Coaster Santa. Not one of your run of the mill, store bought displays. The house had the same display year after year and it was a regular draw for us. It was a home made set up where the guy took up the entire front year with a roller coaster track and a quasi sleigh/car that made the circuit. It wasn't very fancy, but as an engineer, I had to admire the ingenuity. It had a chain driven lift that would take the one lone car from the bottom of the hill to the top of the peak and then let go a wild ride around the track. There was a Santa doll in the car that looked like a crash test dummy that suffered from whiplash. The route was simple, a 2.5 minute lift up the incline followed by a wildly careening ride around the track to wind up at the bottom again. I was amazed and somewhat envious of his set up. Cars would be stacked up for 20 minutes watching the ride. It is those kind of simple things that memories for the holiday.

I see that people are already taking down their lights around the neighborhood. I am debating pulling mine down this week but will probably wait until after New Years to do so. So, what's the unofficial ruling on how long to leave the lights up? 1 week? 2 weeks? After the Super Bowl? Valentine's Day? Easter?

Happy Boxing Day!

2011-12-26T09:56:00.000-06:00

Once again, we rounded the final turn, slipping and sliding all the way and skidded into Christmas morning. After all of these years, you'd think I would be better prepared for the holidays, but each year it seems like a sprint to the finish. Still, it seems to add to spirit of the season.

We had a great Christmas all around. Finally got the tree decorations up. We have collected a ton or decorations & ornaments over the past 31+ years and if we ever put them all on one tree, you wouldn't be able to see any green. We have a several still from our early days that we tend to hang up each year - wooden ornaments from Germany, a set of nested glass bells that survived an overseas move, three dogs, one cat and one curious son, several handmade ornaments inscribed with the year, the skier with the broken leg. Each one has a back story that is meaningless to anyone but us.

Got up early to to fix our Christmas breakfast casserole. This has been a tradition over at my brother's house, but since we cannot seem to make it over to there for the morning rush, we decided to make it here this year. Nice, simple recipe. Fix up the night before and throw in the oven on Christmas morning. Had Christmas at our house first, then went to my parents to have a late lunch with them, drop by my brothers for a quick visit and then off to my in-laws to visit with them for a while. It was great to spend time with everyone, but we are worn down.

I am still fighting off my cold. Thought I had tackled it last week, but it has come back with a vengeance. I am taking various medications to correct, but I am still fighting the hacking cough. One thing I got from my mom (always willing to dole out medicinal advice) is some new concoction for a cough. Some really potent mixture called Buckley's mixture that is supposed to fix a cough, period. I was warned it was some really nasty/foul tasting stuff that they are proud of. It is even advertised as 1) it tastes awful & 2) it works. Forewarned, I am willing to try just about anything to get rid of this cough. I will state, without exaggeration, it is some really nasty stuff. Has the color and consistency of snot and tastes like liquid vap-o-rub. So far, it has helped, but I am still dogged by this cold. I am planning to lay low for the week to see if I can kick this thing.

And my brother, always one to go for the exotic gifts, gave us a pint of the newest Ben & Jerry ice cream flavor: Schweddy Balls. Family - ya gotta love them.

I hope everyone had a great holiday and can enjoy the week.

Mele Kalikimaka

2011-12-25T08:51:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Ya'll

May the peace and joy of the holidays be yours

I hope everyone is enjoying a great Christmas.

One day and counting

2011-12-24T11:08:00.000-06:00

In spite of all the planning and preparation and anticipation, Christmas is coming whether you like it or not.

So much left to do, so little time. Even though it was chilly and wet, I took both dogs to the dog park. Set out to meet up with a woman who sat Grayson for a week when we went to Seattle. She had a Golden for years but it had passed away and she wasn't sure if she wanted to get back into the dog business again. She sat Grayson for us and they had a blast. That was two years ago and she now has two Goldens in her home and was getting ready to foster an 8 month old (she blames Grayson for getting her hooked again) and needed to borrow my kennel. Turns out that several other GBGRR alumns were there as well. All told, it turned out to be Golden day at the park with 9 Golden Retrievers running amok.

Social hour at the dog park

Running with the pack

Picked up the ham yesterday. We have gotten into a habit of getting a Honey Baked ham every year and it has become a regular routine. HB Hams are kinda a big deal down here - several stores in the area have these hams they sell for special holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter), and near the holidays, there is a line out the door trying to get one. They ain't cheap, but they are mighty tasty.

And I have finally turned the corner on the gift quest. After weeks of scratching my head for some really cool, but not cheesy gifts for my nephews, I finally had an epiphany yesterday. While scouring the net for ideas, I checked my Facebook account (I'm pretty dormant on FB) and noted that my nephs were into the same local brewery that is a favorite of mine (St Arnolds). On the spur of the moment, and taking a chance, I hoped in the land barge and drove downtown to the brewery on the hope it was open and I could hit the company store. They have an open house from 3:00 - 4:30 every day where you can sample some of the beer and sit with friends and buy some St Arnolds stuff. Got there too late to sample the beer, but was able to score some shirts/signs/mugs for the nephews. Even ran into a couple of old Eagle scouts from my troop (one guy is in the Air Force home for the holidays). Scored some nice last minute gifts. Now, if I could only shake the cough/cold that seems to have come back.

Bold squirrel

Oh, and the local indigenous tree rat population (aka squirrels) has gotten a wee bit braver/ballsy in their foraging and have taken to taunting the dogs...

Happy Festivus!

Are we there, yet?

2011-12-23T08:09:00.000-06:00

It's late in the 4th quarter and we're trailing by 10 points. Still time to make up ground, but time is running out. I've knocked off a few more gifts, but still have stuff to get for nephews. I got some new/updated requests yesterday that sent me out in search of new stuff (don't you love people who change their lists late in the game?) and I have still not found the right give for my brother and his kids. For some reason, this year I have not been able to come up with any good ideas. My wife suggested gift cards to various stores, but I have always felt that was a cop out. I tried a few on line orders, but it's too late for anything to arrive on time. I am debating getting gift cards to some restaurants but haven't reached that threshold (yet).

Today is more shopping. Going out to pick up a ham (seems to have become our annual tradition) and some more wine. Stephen is due in sometime today and will stay through Monday.

Every year I seem to wind up at this point. Rushing around the final days before the holidays trying to get "just the right gift", spending more money than I had planned, buying stuff we really didn't need (Ooooh - Wallyworld has lights on sale), trying to get into the spirit. Regardless of how much I plan or worry, Christmas will come and go and next week we'll be looking back wishing it lasted longer. I hope to have some of the last minute shopping done today and kick back to enjoy the season, but I know that I will probably be sitting here tonight thinking, did I get a gift for whatshisname, or should we get some more for themfolk?

Ah, I miss the simpler times when I looked forward to the Dolly Madison Christmas specials and show on Christmas eve. Holiday stress - the gift of the season. I know that, in the end, it is all about spending time with your family and friends. Maybe I'll go listen to some more Barking Dogs Christmas.

I hope you guys are ready for the holidays.

Twas the night before the night before the night before Christmas

2011-12-21T22:11:00.000-06:00

Ok. I did finally get the tree up, but the dogs had to help me. It's been hard to get into the mood this year and I finally got off my kiester to assemble/set up our tree. This is a new tree this year for us. Way skinnier than the last ones. After years of big, tall trees, we're not quite sold on this one, but give me a few days and a few ornaments, and I'll make it work. It appears that Grayson has already gotten used to it.

I am actually off until the new year. Wasn't planning to take off all of next week, but things worked out and I got the green light from my boss so I am officially statused as "Out of Office". Of course, given the current technology available (aka Blackberries), you are never really out of touch. Last weekend I was off on vacation, but spent half my morning answering e-mails. I even got mildly chided when I didn't answer my blackberry phone from my boss (was out running at the time). Hopefully, next week will be a quiet one.

In the meanwhile, 3 days and counting...

And in my current state of mind, I was in sore need of some humor provided my brother and this hit my funny bone:

A Touching Christmas Story

A couple was doing last minute shopping on Christmas Eve.

Walking through the very crowded mall the wife looked up and noticed her husband was no where around. She became very upset because they had a lot to do. She used her cell phone to call her husband to ask where he was.

The husband, in a calm voice said, "Honey remember the jewelry store we went into five years ago, where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we could not afford and I told you that I would get it for you one day?"

The wife, crying, said "Yes, I remember".

Husband: "Well, I'm in the bar next to that jewelry store."

Working my way into the spirit

2011-12-20T20:25:00.000-06:00

Four days out and I'm still way behind the plan. I haven't gotten all the presents, I am still trying to finish up projects/reports at work, I still have to work on getting decorations up, no way I am ready. But, like most things in life, stuff happens and we will persevere. Remember the motto: Improvise, Adapt & Overcome.

But, looking on the bright side. I got the tree up!

O' Tannenbaum

2011-12-16T20:52:00.001-06:00

I've been fighting off a cold for the past week, but I think I am finally getting the upper hand. With a plethora of last minute projects/chores/tasks, it has been hard to get into the spirit this year. I did, however, manage to get my outside lights (red, of course) up on Monday so we have officially entered the season. Have not yet set up the tree inside, but I was waiting until after we had the carpets cleaned today and will set it up this weekend. We're going with a new tree this year. Several folks have indicated that they prefer a live tree over a fake one, but we have had an artificial tree for since we bought our first house back north Texas in the 80's.

Growing up as a kid, we had live trees for Christmas. My dad would get one around Thanksgiving, set it up in the living room and we'd decorate it with all of the old style lights and ornaments. I recall the house smelling of pine tree for weeks. When we moved to New Jersey in the early 60s, we started a whole new tradition - a live tree. Not the cut down and stick in a pan kind, but a real live, ball & burlap tree with roots. We would bring it home before Thanksgiving, store it in the garage for a week or two, and then haul it upstairs to the living room in early December. Set it up in a washtub full of water and decorated it with all of our ornaments. After Christmas, we would take it back downstairs to the garage and keep it watered until the ground thawed out and then we planted it along the back of our property. We did that for about 5 years in a row. Last time I was in the area a few years back, all the trees were growing strong and well over 40 feet tall.

When my wife and I set up house in Germany, we had very little money and lived in post housing on the 3rd floor apartment. We bought a cut tree every year at the PX and hauled it upstairs to our apartment and decorated it with new ornaments that we started collecting our own ornaments (still have many German made ornaments). It started it out as a Charlie Brown kind of tree but with a couple of cheap string of lights and few hand made ornaments, it was a beautiful tree. It wasn't much, but it was our first tree together. I think I am going to have to scour my photo albums to find a picture of it. Of course, after the holidays were over, I used the express method to get it downstairs. I simply opened our big bay window in the den and tossed it down 3 stories to the ground floor.

Nowadays, with kids and dogs, we are totally into the artificial trees for simplicity. The older one has been losing needles each year and it is time to let her go. I got a new one that is a bit skinnier and hope to erect her this weekend. We used to make an event out of decorating the tree (wassail, Christmas music, wearing silly Santa hats) but since junior has left home and momma is busy taking care of her parents, looks like it will be me and the dogs. Maybe I'll crack open some Christmas beer....

What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus? - Claus-trophobic

There's always room for a good brew

2011-12-09T19:01:00.002-06:00

Ok, Abby caught me.

She noted on the last posting that there appeared to be a pattern in my pictures. In a number of my postings, there may be a picture or two of one of my favorite libations (aka beer). I have to admit, on these road trips, I have an ulterior motive – I’m trying to drink my way across Europe. Since I have only been to Germany, England, and Belgium, I have a long way to go.

I think I explained this to Rock when we met at (of all places) a pub. I used to be a Miller Lite fan for many years. I experienced some really excellent German beer when stationed in Stuttgart back in the 80s, but when we moved back to Texas, I switched to “Great Taste, Less Filling”. Oh sure, I have partaken of some of several different commercial brands like Heineken, Corona, Dos Equis, and Shiner Bock. A few summers back, my bride and I flew out to Seattle for a week to visit with my brother and my son while he was working for the Evil Empire (Microsoft). While we were hanging around the area, I got to sample sample several local breweries (i.e. Red Hook). Seattle is famous for having a wide variety of some really stellar local microbreweries and I got hooked back on craft beer. The trip wasn’t long after my cancer surgery and I've decided that life was too short to settle for cheap/mass produced beer (or scotch). I been on a mission to try different brands and varieties wherever they present themselves. I even rediscovered a local Houston Brewery (St Arnold) that has become my signature beer in town.

Since I my current job has me on the road a lot, I make it a point to research the areas that I am going to visit to see if I can sample any local brews (when in Rome). California, New York, Austin, Milwaukee, Pennsylvania, Germany, and now Belgium and England. Some places have been a challenge to find a good brew, but Germany and Belgium were over the top. After living in Germany, I was a German Beer fanatic and hadn't really been interested in Belgian beer in my old age (Heineken doesn't count), but while in Brussels, I had an epiphany. The have some really, really GOOD beer. And sooo many varieties. Whenever I had the evening free, I would take the train downtown and find a good hole in the wall that served up some local brew.

When I go on these road trips, there is a running joke at my office. I will take a picture of my meal and/or drink and e-mail it back to my coworkers. Given the time difference I am usually out drinking for the evening when my e-mail shows up in their box in the morning. I have gotten more than a few unprintable responses from my fellow coworkers. I even started to amass a collection of road meals and beers from my travels and I have even created a folder in my Flickr account to track my conquests. Juvenile? Perhaps. But IMHO, that's a cheap way to enjoy life.

Brussels

Germany

Brussels

So many beers, so little time

Germany

London

Everybody has their vices.

Typical American

2011-12-02T06:19:00.000-06:00

Ok, time to wrap up this little road trip and get back to the real world. Despite the 12 hour flight and hassles of international travel, I had a great trip over in Belgium and London, I only wish I had more time. While I may grumble and gripe about the headaches, I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to travel for the company and try to take them in stride. We are already making plans for our 2012 audits and, while most are closer to home (California, New York, Texas, Minnesota), there is possible trip to the Philippines that looks like it has my name on it (just so looking forward to 22+ hours travel time?). I guess I'll worry about that later.

In the meanwhile, I am trying to gear up for the holidays. Only 22 days until Christmas. Lights to hang, tree to put up, cards to write, gifts to buy, dinners to plan/attend.

A few more shots from the road...

The Queen says hi!

Not sure who he represents

And of course, what's London without the buses?

Fish and Chips

Wooden ties? Did I miss a fashion trend?

Kwak Beer (Belgium)
You know it's good beer when you have to serve it in its own special glass/handle contraption

Waffle girl

Belgian Waffle

Side note: whenever I travel to a different city (domestic or international), I strive to be on my best behavior. After my years in the military, I've seen a few "ugly Americans" and I try not to be too annoying (key word is "too"). I try to adopt to the local customs, eat the local food, drink the local brews. When I finally got around to ordering a Belgian Waffle, the young lady offered up an array of toppings and I chose simple, whipped cream and chocolate. Now here is where I lost some points (in her eyes). She offered up to use either 1) dark Belgian chocolate or 2) Nutella. Since I have never had Nutella and somebody had mentioned it earlier, I chose the latter, just so I can say I had it. From her response, I think I insulted her. I might as well have ordered it with ketchup. It was really good (totally meaningless calories) but next time I will stick with the Belgian toppings.

Point of order

2011-12-01T06:01:00.000-06:00

To take a brief pause from my European travels while I deal with the daily crisis at work, I made this mental note to myself last week while working out of the Holiday Inn in Brussels.
----
To the kind young gentleman stuck in transit from one country to another, if you are going to use the hotel computer to surf the net, please follow the simple rules/guidelines:

if you walk away from the terminal, it becomes fair game to any and all who want to use it
try to limit your excursions to something your mother or wife would want to see
if you are logged into the chat room of Babes with Burkas, please, for the love of God (or Allah), log off when you leave.

Your fellow pc users would greatly appreciate this.

Thanks!

Now, let me Purell the keyboard...

Another random picture from the streets of London

Christmas display near the London Eye

London Reloaded

2011-11-28T21:00:00.003-06:00

Like I said before, had a lot of ground to cover and very little time.

Sorry RC about the ambush pictures. Way back in the stone ages (high school), I had a burning desire to be a photographer. One of my buddies worked for the high school paper/yearbook had some really high end equipment at the time (Pentax with an array of lenses) and I was trying to follow in his footsteps. I got a nice Cannon AE1 with a power winder and several specialty lenses (fisheye, 50-210 telephoto, star burst) and was trying my hand at some darkroom work. I still have my Cannon, but have migrated up to digital. For a shutter hog like me, digital is a godsend. I tend to take a lot of shots and then pick out the best ones. If you look at my Flickr account, you will see several shots of the same subject as I try to reframe the subject with a different angle or perspective and then I will chose the best one to post/use. In the old Kodachome days, I used to wind up with a lot of crap (why the hell did I take that?) shots. The beauty of digital is that, I can take a bazillion shots (doesn’t cost a dime) and then pick just the right one of two good ones to post. I still think there are people out there who are way better than I with their photographic skills (aka Terri). So, whenever I go to a new place, I usually take a ton of pictures of various subjects from different angles. Always interesting to go back and pick up on what I missed the first go around.

That's what I was doing around Buckingham Palace last week. I didn't realize at first that I had snagged a back shot of RC until I started reviewing the files. Even with all of those pictures, I am still pissed off at myself that I did not get one single picture of RC and I together.

The second day in London did not leave me much time to explore. Overslept a bit and woke up a later than I had planned and did not pack out until around 0800. Had to be back in St Pancras station by 1100 to check in for my train so that left me with about 3 hours to exploit.

Ran back by Parliament and Big Ben and the London Eye for some daytime shots, but the famous London fog had settled in on the Themes so all of my long shots have that ghostly appearance. It was a shame to have the fog that morning as the weather was unseasonably nice (clear & cool) for that time of year. I got some nice foggy shots of Westminster Abby, Big Ben, Waterloo Station. I was going to take a spin on the Eye, but it did not open up early enough and would have taken too long for me to make my train. Hopped the Tube to take me back across town to St Pancras/Kings Cross. The Tube is pretty neat. Down here in south Texas, we don’t have subways or trains (lite rail doesn’t count), so it is always an adventure to figure out the system. Spent a good part of my youth in New Jersey, so we are familiar with the Erie Lackawanna rail system and the New York subways. In Germany, we used the train system fairly regularly, so I enjoy traveling by rail.

I always try to take pictures of different/unique things that we don’t always see down in south Texas. I especially love the architectural styles St Pancras station has some amazing buildings/details. Interesting small factoid I did not realize: Kings Cross was actually shown in the Harry Potter movies as the train station for the Hogwarts Express (that did not dawn on me until I was flying back watching the last HP movie).

Some of the more interesting sights I spotted during my brief visit:

Ship in a bottle (life size)

Only 284 days left until the Olympics

Trafalgar Square

Building artwork

Protesters outside of Parliament

And don't forget the souvenirs

And while wandering around St Pancras station, I discovered found the perfect statue that reminded me of one of my favorite bloggers. I had an hour to kill before my train and I wandered up the street a ways to explore and came across the British Library. While taking various shots of buildings and sites, I spotted this giant statue in the courtyard of the library and my first thought in my head was: MELEAH! I hung around the gates for 20 minutes waiting for it to open so I can get a few close up pictures. So, Mel, this one’s for you.

Gate to the British Library

Meleah!!!

Seriously, all that it lacks is the Mac

How to do London in 26 hours

2011-11-28T06:13:00.000-06:00

It was a fantastic trip last weekend, but honestly, 26 hours is not enough time to see/smell/taste London or the surrounding areas. There's way too many interesting sites and places to see/do and anything less than a week does not not do justice.

I made the trek over to London via one of those high-speed Eurostar trains that take you from one major city to another. I thought it would be neat and faster to take train verses a plane and I was right on one part, it was faster. Cheaper too. I had some kind of romanticized version of taking the train to London and watching the scenery go by and watch as we go through the Chunnel. First of all, for most of the ride was on rails surrounded by walls and berms. What scenery we did see went by too fast. And the Chunnel? If you want to experience your own ride through the Chunnel, turn off the lights in your house and sit in your chair for 20 minutes. That's it. One long dark tunnel.

Arrived in St Pancras/Kings Cross Station around 0900 with time to figure out how to ride the tube system to get across London to Buckingham palace to hook up with Rock Chef. As RC mentioned in his post, one of the tube lines (Victoria line) was completely shut down for the weekend and, of course, that was the one I needed to take. Had to figure out the map to take a different train to Piccadilly Circus and hoof it down to the palace. Since I arrived earlier than I anticipated, I meandered over to Trafalgar Square & Admiral’s Gate and explored some of the historical sites. At one time in my youth, I considered becoming an architect so I have a certain fascination of the local architecture of the areas I visit, especially some with some history. London has some very interesting sites to visit/tour and I took lots of pictures (thank goodness for digital camera).

Lots of unique buildings and famous sites, took lots of pictures.

Wound up hiking down to the Palace around the time of the changing of the guard. There was a massive mob of tourists all around the front gate Given the mob that was there, I was concerned that there was no way RC and I could find each other. I milled with the mob for a while and watched the start of the changing of the guard, but honestly was too far away to get any good pictures and I did not have a program to know what was going on. I began to scan the crowd looking for RC and getting worried that we would not find each other. Remembering he told me we could meet up on the right side of the palace next to Green Park, I parked myself there at the street crossing and scanned the crowd for a familiar face. Finally spotted him in the crowd taking pictures and looking like he was looking for someone. I wasn't 100% sure, but I went up to him anyway and asked some lame greeting like "You look like a guy who raises rabbits" or something like that. It would have been really weird/awkward if is wasn't him.

RC is a great guy. We decided to bail on the crowd of tourists and head up to Piccadilly Circus where there are lots of shops and restaurants to grab some lunch and a beer. We spent a good amount of time comparing notes on our past and what we do. We covered the gauntlet from family to cars to books to Star Wars. It was really good to meet the brains behind the keyboard and I was glad to have made the trip.

We parted ways as he headed north into Soho in search of a few guitar shops and me trying to get in some obligatory tourist sites. I checked into my hotel (just a short hop from Buckingham) to drop off my pack and headed out to catch the Tower of London. I made it there in time to catch the audio tour but the warders had finished up for the day. Was able to wander through most of the tower and get some of the details, but had really hoped for a warder's tour/comments. Wandered back across town to take some shots of Parliament and Big Ben before heading back to my hotel. Was a bit "geographically challenged" trying to find a good pub for dinner only to find out that the one I picked a hundred yards down the street from my hotel. Crashed for the night and got up early to set out to do some more exploring. Was able to get some obligatory foggy shots of Parliament and Big Ben, but did not have time to ride the Eye before heading back to St Pancras to catch my train back to Brussels.

Trafalgar Square

Calvary

Buckingham Palace (note: the flag is flying so the Queen is in da house)

Trying to catch a glimpse of the changing of the guard

Spotting a familiar face (or head) in the crowd.

The Famous Rock Chef in the flesh!

Tower of London

A Warder at the Tower

Tower Bridge

Big Ben and the London Eye at night

Westminster Abby

Big Ben and The Eye in the morning fog

Across from Waterloo Station

A Lego Christmas Tree in St Pancras Station

St Pancras/Kings Cross station

As I said, a lot to see & do in a short period of time. This is only a few of the pictures I managed to take over the weekend. Will post a few more tomorrow. I even spotted a statue at the British Library that reminds me of a fellow blogger...

European campaign - after action report

2011-11-26T12:07:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving was quiet. Ate too much, watched some football, ventured out on Friday for a few bargains. I am still trying to get over my jet lag and get back on Texas time from last week’s trip to Europe.

The whole trip to Belgium/England was pretty neat. When I wasn’t at the office, I spent time exploring the downtown area and taking lots of pictures of various sites/buildings. I only wish I had more time and it was a wee bit warmer time. Some of the local sites in Brussels:

Chocolaterie Manneken

Christmas on the plaza

Pick a restaurant

More Chocolate

The crowd around Manneken Pis

One of many, many excellent local brews

The plaza around the Grand Palace

In the spirit of giving thanks, I am thankful for the opportunity for this trip and a chance to visit some new and interesting places.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T11:52:00.000-06:00

A day, late, but I hope everyone takes time from the turkey & dressing induced hangovers and the Black Friday sales to celebrate with family and friends and give thanks for all of our blessings. I try to take time during these busy holidays to remember all of the blessings we have: life, family, friends, health, opportunity. I am especially thankful for the men & women serving abroad in the armed forces who could not be home with family during this time.

I intended to post a couple of additional updates from Belgium, but wound up working late each day and had to get up way early to catch a flight to Paris for the long trek back home. 12+ hours flying, 4 hours waiting in the airport, 4 different passport checks, 3 airport screenings, a gallon of coffee, and several rounds of airline meals, I finally made it home to Texas. Traveling on the 23rd wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated crowds had not yet started to stack up and there were no delays in my flight. I was up for 22 hours straight, tired and had hoped to come home, drop the bags, kiss the wife, hug/walk the dogs, and catch up on my sleep, but I walked right into a leaking water pipe in the attic. A small pinhole leak had sprung up over the last few days. It hadn’t been leaking long, but enough to stain the ceiling and drip through the sheetrock. Needless to say, I was not happy, to which my darling bride added (trying to lighten the mood) added: “Well, which dwarf are you?”. Her funeral will be next week. Given the holidays, I could not get a plumber out until the weekend, so, being an engineer, I ran out to the big box hardware chain and picked up a pipe clamp (no, the duct tape did not work). I was able to clamp down on the pipe and stop the leak, for now. We still need a plumber, but the crisis level has dropped to DEFCON 4 (for now).

I have started to pull together my notes/pictures from my week in Europe. I’ve got enough stuff left over from the weekend to fill up several blogs. Keep an eye on this place for some interesting tales and sites and more on my visit with RC.

Tower Bridge

Brussels

Mind the gap

2011-11-20T15:59:00.000-06:00

Some expressions stick with you if you hear them enough.

Whoa. Sunday evening and I find myself sitting in a local hole in the wall (really is a hole in the wall) place in Brussels enjoying some different Belgium beers and trying to rest my dogs from the weekend. I'd like to spend my retirement working throught the myriads of beers over here, but I am only 54 and there is not enough time. Besides, there is that nasty addiction I have called "work".

It's been a whirlwind weekend. Probably due to jet lag or the anticipation of the trip, but I woke up way too early (0300) Saturday to catch the first shuttle to the airport to catch the train downtown to catch the Eurostar to London. Being an engineer and A/R to boot I like to work to a plan and hate when I am late. Besides the train to London left at 0759 and there ain't noway I am missing it. Made the train with plent of time and settled in for the 2 hour ride to London.

But, let's be honest, do you really want to hear about my exploits in London? No?

Ok. For those dying to know. I did hook up with the famous Rock Chef for a couple of hours while wandering about London. It was a great trip. Met up with in outside Buckingham Palace which is a whole story itself. Suffice it to say but that is not the place for a quiet, intimate gathering. A mob of tourists is not the best place to meet up with someone. In spite of that, I was able to track down RC in the crowd and we were able to meet right outside the palace. Rock is great guy. As funny & interesting just like I had pictured from our conversations on the net. We hiked up through Green Park and up to Pickadilly Circus to find a good pub so I could satisfy my craving for some British food & beer. We shared some stories, talked about some of our similar interests like books, Star Wars, beer, cars, kids, you know, guy stuff. Spent a could of hours sharing some really good beer and swapping war stories and talking about certain other bloggers. Iit was a long trip but I am glad for the chance to meet up with him. Got a few pictures, but my one regret wasthat I forgot to take a picture of the two of us together.  We parted ways with him heading up into SOHO looking for guitar stuff and me doing the touristy stuff. I have enough blog fodder for a couple of entries, but will have to save it for later since I am about worn down to a nub and have to go to an audit in the morning. Look for some more postings over the next few days.

In the meantime, just to prove we actually met up, this one is for you, terri.

Hmmm. Braaains.

And here is RC and I enjoying our Brains...

Great trip.

So much to see, so little time

2011-11-18T10:58:00.000-06:00

Hold on to your sombreros, muchacos e muchachas, time to shift gears and hit the rails!

Finished up work at the office and they cut us loose for the weekend. Too late in the day to hop a train downtown for a bite & beer, so I'll have to hit the hotel bar for overpriced beers and something that resembles food. Will save my culinary explorations for this weekend.

I sorta feel like I am back in the Army. I have a narrow 24+ hour pass/window available this weekend, so I am up at the crack of early to hop on one of those high speed European trains that will wisk me from the heart of Brussels and drop me off in the middle of London. It's supposed to be a two hour ride that will take us through the Chunnel. Kinda jazzed up right now. I have never been to London (a 3 hour layover in Heathrow doesn't count) and it's always been on my bucket list. A chance to tour Merry Olde England and meet up with a longtime blog friend, Rock Chef. Trying to fit in time to share a beer with RC, swap war stories, trash talk other bloggers, create a general nusance, and still get in some obligatory site seeing. We plan to meet up outside the gate of Buckingham Palace. 24 hours does not leave me much time so I will have to fleet of feet and flexible (Improvise, Adapt, & Overcome), but it should be a great time. Bought a new 8 gig SD card for the camera, so I have lots of room for pictures. Will post up pictures of the carnage later.

My main objective is to meet up with RC. I hope to have enough time to get hit the other spots (Tower of London, Tower Bridge, The Eye, Parliament, Soho, Trafalgar Square), but honestly, 24 hours does not give me enough time to get serious. Still, I will take advantage of what time I have.

The road goes on forever and the party never ends.

Culture from abroad

2011-11-18T01:06:00.000-06:00

I've travelled a bit and been a lot of places. I still tend to find new & interesting things that we don't see in Texas...

A nice place to hang out at 0700 in the morning during a 3 hour layover in Heathrow. I'm revising my Christmas wish list.

And, of course, who doesn't love Belgian Waffles and Chocolate?

Getting my sea legs

2011-11-17T01:05:00.000-06:00

Boy, the difference A few good beers can make.

Caught the local train downtown to explore the area, take a few pictures before it got dark, and find a good place for a cold beer. Got to the town square with enough light for a few shots, found the obligatory tourist spot (Manneken-Pis), and stumbled into the Poechenellekelder for some really good Belgium beer. Not sure if it was the local flavor, the alchohol content, the great atmosphere or the fact I'd been up 24+ hours, but it was a great place to unwind. Lots of character and things to see. I wish I had more time than just a few short days to explore more.

Of course, when in Belgium, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Top That!

But, if waffles or beer are not your thing, you could always go scope out the local tourist sites...

Mannekin Pis - just across the street from the Poechenellerkelder

Across the pond

2011-11-16T07:18:00.000-06:00

Finally broke free from work and made it to the airport yesterday with time to spare. Check in for the flight was fairly painless and early. Major thunderstorm rolled across Houston with all sorts of lightning and thunder but rolled on through by the time we boarded the flight. The flight was barely 1/3rd full. They let us pick our seats/rows and you got to have an entire row to yourself for the duration of the flight. Was kinda weird but nice not having to share an armrest with a 350 elbow hog. Still, with three open seats, I couldn’t sleep well, no matter what position I tried (disadvantage of being over 6ft tall). Did catch about 2 hours of sleep, but wound up watching movies/tv shows for most of the 9 hour flight. Got to catch up on some older episodes of Sons of Anarchy, watched Green Lantern, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and about half of the last Harry Potter movie. Now I can knock those off my NetFlix queue.

Wound up laying over in Heathrow for about three hours waiting for my connecting flight. Screwed up and wound up going out through customs so I had to go back in through the screening check again. I got a chance to catch up on my e-mails, send a note to my wife that I arrived in London, had a bit of breakfast and I am ogling the local whiskey shop. So many choices, so little time.

Finally hopped the short flight to Brussels and we hit the tarmac around noon. The hotel shuttle wasn't running, so I grabbed a local bus that dropped me a about 200 yards from the hotel. Good hike to the hotel with bags, but after 10+ hours on a plane, I needed the exercise. As I figure it, I've been on the go for roughly 24 hours. A bit fried, but overall in good spirits. Weather is nice - clear and cold. Glad I brought my cold weather gear.

Plans are firming up now that I am in country. Definitely going over to London on Saturday, if I can figure out the bus system to get me to the downtown train station. This is the first road trip I am doing sans auto. I figured if everyone else can navigate well without the benefit of a car, I can make the attempt. When in Rome...

More from the road as I get my bearings.

Time to saddle up

2011-11-14T21:55:00.000-06:00

Nice long three day weekend. I could get used to a 4 day work week if it wasn't for the calls and reports I wind up doing on Friday mornings. The only way to burn up my vacation is to take off every Friday between now and New Years. Wow. Life's tough.

Weekend was packed as usual. Junior was down for a wedding so we got to spend some time with him and FDIL. I took both dogs to the Barktoberfest - a local fair that displays a large number of rescue groups/organizations that are dedicated to finding homes for dogs that have been abandoned, abused, or otherwise forgotten. A lot of fun and a lot of dogs.

Need something to carry Fido in?

Don't step on my blue suede dog?

Andy - one of our rescue dogs that is being fostered and nursed back to health. He has improved tremendously since he showed up on our doorstep. In spite of his rough appearance, he is amazingly gentle and his tail never stops wagging.

I am just about ready for my road trip to Belgium. The plans are still in flux at this point, but I am working on locking down some details. Last weekend I went out and got a few essentials for the trip. Picked up two books to read on the plane. I guess I am being old fashioned. When Junior when to Europe, he took his iPad for entertainment on the flight. I am more old school and prefer a book to read for the flight. I picked up two books from Half Price Books (Monster Hunter & Ford County) for the trip in case I read too fast.

I am trying to pack the right clothes for the week. Given a 50 lb limit on checked bags, I have choices to make. Weather is supposed to be cold & wet, so I am trying to plan for all contingencies (Boy Scouts - Be Prepared). I have a ton of things to finish up at work and I am burning the midnight oil getting last minute reports/projects wrapped up. I must over thinking this trip as I've been waking up every morning at 2:30 going over the things I have left to do. I am mostly packed and I have two meetings in the morning before I head out to the airport. In typical fashion, I'll probably be all wound up over this until the plane lifts off. After that, I figure there is not much else I can do so I can relax and enjoy the ride. I have worked up some plans for the week while I am in country the biggest of which is a side trip to London for the weekend. Hope to be able to cram in as much British scenery/flavor/culture as I can in a mere 24 hours. I also hope to be able to meet up with RC during the weekend. I'd like to get a sample of some good British cuisine and the first round of beer is on me.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T14:58:00.001-06:00

Veterans Day

Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

To me, it is more that just a day for mattress sales and no mail delivery. To the men and women who have served or are serving past and present, I salute you. Thank you for your sacrifice and service to keep the the banner of freedom flying.

Take a moment to stop and reflect on the sacrifices made by our vets who have served and those who continue to stand in harms way today.

No Moshing Allowed

2011-11-08T04:51:00.032-06:00

It’s never a dull moment around the hacienda down here.

I must have caught whatever RC had. Was sick for two days and actually stayed home. Woke up feeling like my head was going to explode, nauseous, dizzy, and that was the high point for my day. Generally felt like one of the Walking Dead. Crawled on line, e-mailed my boss and co-workers that I would be a no-show and went back to sleep. Pretty much wasted days - watched a few left over NetFlix movies (Captain America, The Mechanic) a couple of old WWII movies (Frank Sinatra as a PFC, Burt Lancaster as the Sergeant). Finally turned the corner on Thursday and went back to work . Of course, for every day I miss at the office, I get backed up 3.

I am still fighting with my computer. Thought I had it pretty much licked, but this weekend something else started dragging it down. I’ve restored it back to an earlier version, but I am still working at a handicap. I am debating getting one of those PC cleaning programs, but I think, at this point, I am better off reinstalling the OS (aka, starting over) which pretty much wipes out most of my settings/favorites. I don’t really want to go to that extreme, but it is either that or use my special hard drive fix it tool (9 mm version). The funny thing is that for the $$ it may cost me to recover the system I could probably pick up the same system that sported in Wally world this weekend (same brand, more memory, faster processor). I may go for a laptop version and keep the old system to recover files and use as backup.

I’ve been laying low for the past few weeks. Halloween came and went like it always does. We don’t get many trick or treaters each year. A few of the local kids, some neighborhood kids with their parents in tow, a few “older” kids and of, course a couple of guys sporting facial hair. I have a soft spot for the little ones. They usually get a handful of the good stuff. The big kids get twizzlers and the off brand stuff. The dogs were pretty intrigued by the whole deal. I expected them to bolt every time I opened the front door, but they were very well behaved. Grayson was interested in greeting each of our ghoulish guests, and even dressed the part (yes, I did dress up one dog). One the other hand, Claire wasn’t sure what to make of all the commotion. I am not sure if it was all knocking/doorbell ringing or kids in costumes, but she hung back. Quite the difference from her normal role as Ambassador of Lickenstein.

Aloha, Dudes!

Junior was in town this weekend for a Guns & Roses concert. Brought home a wrist band with the Moshing disclaimer. He indicated that there sure were a lot of “old” people in the floor seats. G&R kicked off at 11:00 pm and Axel played all 38 sets. Old rockers never die – they just go on the road.

I am finally getting psyched up for my road trip to Brussels next week. Started packing this weekend, but not sure what to bring. Trying to prepare for cold & wet but don’t want to haul too much wasted gear. I am starting to plan my down time to take an opportunity to see some of the local area, sample some of the local flavor, drink some of the local beer. I will be in country over the weekend so Saturday and Sunday are mine to use (or lose). I started mapping out a strategy and just figured out yesterday there are a number of very interesting options for the short amount of time:

1. Explore Brussels and the local sites (drink beer, explore local area)
2. Try to find a local volksmarch
3. Go tour Bruges (1 hour northwest)
4. Hop a train to Normandy (a couple of hours southwest)

Or, for something completely out of the box,

5. Hop a train for Paris (2 hours south) for the weekend or
6. Hop a train for London (1.5 hours northwest) for the weekend

All of these options peek my interest. I’ve been to Paris, granted it was 25 years ago, but how many times does one get to climb the Eiffel Tower. Always wanted to tour the battlefields of WWII and see the Normandy invasion beachhead. Bruges is an iconic older town that has a unique flavor (check out the dvd In Bruges). Of course, I’ve always wanted to go to London. And who knows? I might wind up running into some bike riding, guitar playing, pizza chef, rabbit owner.

So much to see, so little time...

Any ideas/suggestions?

One day closer to retirement

2011-10-28T09:56:00.000-05:00

I wish.

Early on in my Army career, I an old E7 platoon sergeant who was pretty salty. He was a lifer and had been around a long time and taught me a lot of things you don’t learn in school. Whenever we wound up in some stupid situation or had some dumb requirements/tasks to accomplish, he would just shake his head and say “One day closer to retirement, Sir”. That’s become one of my mantras ever since.

Been busier than a one-armed paper hanger with an itch. Once again, I am up to my butt in work trying to get stuff done between now and the end of the year and still need vacation to burn. I picked up a lot of silly projects and tasks while keeping up with my real job. I got signed up for another road trip for a supplier audit, but this time it is back to Europe. I’m flying over to Belgium next month for an audit and business meeting. I know, I have absolutely no room to whine about this, but it is just screws up my plans/schedule. I should be grateful for the opportunity but I am still cranky about it for a variety of reasons: 1) I really don’t have time for it right now, 2) I’m not looking forward to another pair of 10-12 hour flights, 3) It’s the wrong time of the year to go to Belgium (cold and wet), and 4) I am scheduled to fly back on the Wednesday BEFORE Thanksgiving (supposed to be the busiest day of the year for flying). I have made it a point to not travel during that time of the year and here I am right in the middle of it. Would sit home and watch the news reports on how busy the airports were and how full the parking lots were getting and think to “Glad that ain’t me.” This year I get to be a part of the circus.

Still, somebody has to do it. Just like my other trips, I plan to make the most of it. Got the weekend free in Brussels and intend to do as much exploration as possible. Anyone care to guess what Belgium is famous for?

Chocolate and Beer

I've been given instructions to come back with some...

Water dogs

2011-10-22T19:39:00.006-05:00

Ok. I am a bit better now. Computer is still messed up (I’ll spare you the colorful language I’ve been using), but I had an interesting/great outing yesterday so I am in a darn good mood.

Since a lot of people are doing doggy themes, I thought I’d add my two cents. Get it? Two Cents? Hello? Bueller? Bueller? Is this mike on?

Anyway, if you have paid any attention to this prattle, one might surmise I have a dog or two. Ok. I’ve tried not to make this an “all things canine” blog and have failed on some occasions. Not everyone appreciates the insight or humor of owning a pet (or being owned by a pet) sometimes brings. I have had dogs in the past. A few years back I did a brief tribute to each dog I’ve had in my life. Pebbles, Peanuts, Velvet, Shadow – all were unique dogs that contributed some part to my life. Along comes Grayson and, more recently, Claire. We have never had 2 dogs at the same time. Oh sure, a dog and two cats, a goldfish, a canary, two turtles, and one snake (not for long), but never two dogs under one roof at the same time. We had briefly considered a second dog for Shadow to give him some company during the day, but never seriously. Some of our friends in GBGRR have 2-3 dogs. Robin got us started with the club has 4 dogs, 1 one cat and a horse and is always fostering a new dog. Both Grayson and Claire came from her stable of critters. Honestly, I don’t know how she does it. We couldn’t foster two without falling for them. The interesting thing to note is the dynamics with two dogs. As RC noted, dogs will react to each other. We weren’t sure how Grayson would take to Claire at first, but those two became best buds. Whenever I take one out, the other wants to go as well.

At the GBGRR picnic, I won two of the raffle prizes (past few picnics I’ve never won anything). A home dog grooming (they come to your house) and an hour of swim time at Rummy’s Beach Club. One thing I have been meaning to do for a while is take these dogs to the pool. Oh, sure there is a pond in the dog park, but neither of these two seems to have any interest in swimming. Go figure: 2 Golden Retrievers who a) don’t retrieve and b) don’t swim. The pond at the dog park isn’t the best place to have them swim, the water's too nasty and too many other distractions. So I figured I would have to take them to the lake or river and get in with them to see if I could coax them into the water. The certificate to Rummy’s was just the excuse I was looking for. The founder (Lisa) had built a pool specifically for training dogs to swim and she did it for her Blind Siberian Husky, Rummy. Lisa insists she is not a therapist, but more of a person to help dogs learn to swim, or at least get over their fear of water. I have been looking for a way to take my dogs to some watering hole and this was just what the doctor ordered. Since I had the day off and was paying bills and reading work e-mails, I called her on the fly and got a slot (she is booked solid) for a 2pm opening so I jumped in my suit, loaded up the land barge, and tossed the dogs in (like I could hold them back). They are always looking for a ride and adventure, so this was exciting to them. Took an hour to get across town but we finally made our way over to Lisa’s place. A very dog friendly site, with lots of room to run and explore and sniff and pee. After they got settled in, it was time to hit the pool. Small pool with a gradual entrance and sloped bottom for dogs to get used to. Both of my mutts were excited to be there but didn’t know what to make of the whole deal. Lisa started with Claire since she was the calmer of the two and strapped on a doggie life vest to help her float. Grayson was all high energy and kept circling the pool. I wound up sitting in the middle of the pool and coaxed Claire into the water to where she was eventually floating and swimming on her own. Hesitant at first, but eventually, she would swim out to me, make the loop around me and swim back to the landing. She wound up doing a few laps around me and she really was a trooper. Grayson, being the big macho dog, wasn’t having anything to do with that. We did get a vest on him and eventually got him into the water, but you could tell he wasn’t all sold on the idea. What really floored me was, while Grayson was struggling with learning to swim, Claire would doggie paddle out to him and swim alongside him until he reached the landing area. Several times she would swim out to him to show him how to do it. He got the hang of it but it took a while. Claire, on the other hand, took to the water like a water bug. Given her weight and age, I had figured it was going to be harder for her, but she really surprised us. That’s what makes life interesting with these dogs - just when you think you’ve got them pegged, they show you something completely different. Sorry, no pictures this time. I was in the pool with them trying to encourage them.

Full plate

2011-10-21T10:46:00.001-05:00

I should be happy, but I’m not.

I have the day off again. It is that time of year when I have vacation built up that I have to take. The company has a policy that you could only carry over a certain amount of hours/days at the end of the year. Since I have been here for 10+ years, I accrue a boatload of vacation each year and can only carry over 60 hours (7.5 days) by the end of December. They used to have a policy that, if you didn’t use the vacation, they would pay it out to you. That changed a few years back and now the policy is “use it or lose it”. I think it is a bit counterproductive. I am one of those who doesn’t take much vacation during the year. We used to take a lot of trips and with my Boy Scout involvement, I would normally burn up most of my days throughout the year. When junior was doing intern work out west, we took off a week or two to go out and visit/bug him. Since junior has graduated and lives only 3 hours away, we are not taking as much time off. Momma is spending a lot of time taking care of her parents and we cannot get away for long trips. This all leaves me with a plethora of vacation time to burn at the end of the year. I’ve taken off Fridays to go to college football games, I’ve done a bit of hunting, momma’s got me doing a whole bunch of “honey dos” (aka chores). I am pretty much taking off every Friday between now and the end of the year. Got a lot of work to do at the office and every time I take off, I seem to get further behind. On top of that, I just got signed up yesterday for a road trip to Belgium the week before Thanksgiving for another audit and to work with our European office. I know, I know - I really shouldn’t be whining and should be grateful for the time and opportunity, but this just messes with my plans. I always thought that, when junior was out of the house and it was just momma and I and the dogs, life would be calmer and less hectic. Silly rabbit.

In spite of my complaining, we have been busy. A couple of trips up to College Station for games. Helped my dad celebrate his 88th birthday last week. He and mom are still pretty darn spry for a bunch of octogenarians. You think, at that age, they’d be hanging out at home or in nursing home. Nah, they just left town on a short 4 day cruise to Cozumel with my brother. I can only hope I am that active/mobile when I get their age.

And the real reason I am not happy is that my PC picked up some virus last week and pretty much cratered the system. I was able to restore it to an older version, but all my settings are screwed up. None of my favorites are set up any more, most of my files and pictures are missing. I have a back up drive, but a lot of the information is not there as it should be. I have copies of the important stuff and a lot of my files are recoverable and I made a secondary back up of my pictures (being paranoid is sometimes a good thing), but this just pisses me off. I am not ignoring everyone, I am just trying to get back to where I was two weeks ago.

I see Goldens

2011-10-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

Pop quiz. What’s the best way to make it rain?

Plan a major event outdoors (wedding, birthday party, graduation)
Ride your bike to work
Plan a campout
County Fair
Leave the top down on the car
Turn on your sprinklers
Wash & wax your car
Plan a picnic

I may have bemoaned earlier about our current drought. We haven’t had any decent rain since last January and everything is either dying or burning up. I read the other day that we were 30 inches behind on rainfall for the year and it may take years to recover. We have lakes that are 10 feet below their normal levels and creeks have dried up. It’s gotten so dry that the trees have taken to whistling for dogs (old joke).

So, what do you do when you have a serious dry spell? You plan your annual picnic. Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue (GBGRR) group held its 12th annual picnic to celebrate all the dogs that have found homes and raise money for the cause. Rough estimate is that, in the short 12 years since the group started, they have helped over 2400 Golden Retrievers find their forever homes (~200 per year). Some were pups, some slightly older, some were in their prime and some were seniors. No matter where the dog came from or what happened to it, the group worked to find it a home, even if it was for a short time.

The picnic has become a regular deal for us. They don’t charge a fee, but sell raffle tickets and shirts and various stuff and ask for donations. We even get a local bar-be-que place to provide the grub and even had someone bring shrimp and gumbo. Of course, the main reason we go is for all the dogs. Everyone tries to bring their old dogs who have been adopted over the years. Kind of a Golden reunion. Last year the dogs had a blast playing with each other and chasing balls in the pond and running wild. This year, of course, the skies opened up and dumped about 5 inches of rain on the park. Fortunately, we had reserved the large pavilion and could hang out semi dry underneath. Dogs were not as thrilled at all the rain and thunder, but they did have a good time. Grayson was excited to be with the other dogs, but somewhat skittish with all the thunder and rain. Claire was the proper lady and would have nothing to do with all that wetness, but preferred to hang out under the table.

Grayson & Glaire

People will do strange things with their "children"

Drought? What drought?

Of course, there are always one or two “water” dogs in every group who enjoy the rain….

Throw the ball!

Wet and loving it

5 seconds of fame

2011-10-09T11:03:00.001-05:00

Looks like this week is turning into an all dog theme. I took the dogs up to college for the last two football games. No, not to the games, but to our camping spots on campus. My brother and I have reserved spots on one of the parking lots where we camp out in our trailers. Football at A&M is serious business. Our little stadium can hold a few fans (stated capacity is 83,002) but we’ve been known to exceed that number by a few bodies. Football weekends are a massive phenomenon starting with various events on Friday nights and culminating in the game on Saturday afternoon/evening. We’ve been doing it for years since my brother’s oldest son went to school (long since graduated). It’s become our weekend tradition during the fall. The RV slots on campus are hard to come by and have sold out for years, so we tend to make full use of the sites every home game.

Water dogs

Anyway, the dogs like going out camping in the trailer. To them, it is another adventure. I’ve been taking my dogs up to the games since we had Shadow and they have a blast. Two weeks ago, I took them up for the weekend and there was a charity walk being held at the Veterinary Center (A&M has one of the best Vet schools in the nation). The Vet school was opening a new Cancer Center for animals and to commemorate the event, they held a 3/5k Walk to collect money for cancer research BTHO (Beat The Hell Outta) Cancer Pet Walk or Paws to the Pavement walk. I have always been a sucker for 5ks and figured the dogs like to walk so, I signed us up. Was kind of weird – I’m used to participating in these kinds of runs with lots of runners and warming up before the start, but not when you have the same number of dogs as people. Big dogs, small dogs, skinny dogs, fat dogs, tall dogs, short dogs, shaggy dogs, hairless dogs, purebreds, mutts. Not sure who had more fun - the 2 legged or 4 legged participants. When the starting cannon sounded (note to organizers: you might want to rethink the idea of having a cannon signal the start of a DOG event), everyone hit the trail. Good walk. Some ran, some walked, and some peed. I wasn’t sure how Claire would handle the walk since she is a wee bit old and heavy, but Grayson wanted to run the course. Was a bit hot at the time so at the 1.5 km mark they had water bowls and a kiddie pool for the dogs to drink out of. Of course, guess which dog had to lie in the pool? Both dogs made the course fine, if not a bit hot. We got to see both Reveille VII & VIII (A&M Mascot) and there were lots of pictures taken. That’s where the story should end, but there’s an interesting addendum.

BTHO Cancer Walk

Reveille VII & VIII

I left the dogs with my parents (they don’t make it into the games anymore) and went up to the stadium. Scored a really good seat on the 20 yard line in the 2nd deck. Typical A&M game – lots of noise, big crowd, mucho excitement. Throughout the game, they post pictures on the giant video scoreboard (12Man TV) – a monstrous 75 ft x 55 ft TV screen on the south end of the field. The kind of screen you could sit back in our trailer (1/4 mile away) and watch the game. In between broadcasting the plays, they normally post up various factoids and activities and the occasional sponsor (hey, somebody’s got to pay for that screen). In the middle of the 3rd quarter, they start showing things around campus like – student activities, sports, different schools, current events. One of the events shown on the big screen was the BTHO Cancer walk held that morning. Among all of the shots taken of Reveilles, runners/walkers/dogs, up pops this shot of a golden dog with the bright yellow bandanna around his neck walking. Took me a few moments to recognize that it was a good 5 second close up of Grayson on a 50 foot screen. No sign of Claire or me. Everyone else saw him told me about if after the game. He’s famous now. Great. One more thing to give him a big head.

Today we are headed out to the Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue annual picnic. This is the 12th picnic and a chance to see all the old GBGRR alumns. We are expecting 250-300 Goldens plus a few people. Pretty impressive display of fur. Pictures to follow.

GBGRR Picnic 2010

Dog tails

2011-10-03T06:15:00.000-05:00

Was a beautiful weekend. A front pushed through the area, the 99+ degree temps finally broke last week and we actually had two days of rain. This is the first measureable rain we have had since January. Of course, it came as a torrential downpour with lots of lightening and thunder, but we desparately needed the rain. My yard has taken on the vacant sandlot baseball field kind of look and it is one of the better ones in the neighborhood. The drought down here has killed off a lot of trees and bushes and we are not sure when it will recover.

Took the opportunity to enjoy the cooler weather (60s) and take the dogs to the local dog park. Over the summer that became our routine on Saturday morning, but since it got hot early, we would go at 0630 to avoid the heat. Both dogs love the park, but each in their own way. Grayson is the kid on the playground - running all over the park, chasing other dogs, laying in the pond, running around some more. We can be there 2 hours and he never tires out. Claire is still the social butterfly - less interested in playing with the other dogs and more interested in greeting every person in the park. She has that charming personality that earns her a lot of scratches and attention.

Of course, much to amusement of everyone in the park, Grayson found his favorite spot to "hang out"...

Mud dog

Dang, I'm good.

2011-10-02T09:28:00.002-05:00

You tell me. Is it wrong to feel some sense of manliness/accomplishment?

Friday night, I was home from a very long week of work kicked back trying to unwind and starting to enjoy the weekend. Dogs have been walked and fed, garbage is posted to the curb, dishwasher emptied. I'm sitting down and enjoying a single malt and Pulp Fiction when my cell phone chirps in from the son. Junior's calling me on a Friday night at 1930. That normally does not bode well. He talked with me earlier in the day, but it was about insurance coverage with his new company. This call sets off my internal alarm. He is calling me from the garage at work and informs me that his car won't start (one of my parental angst - child is stranded somewhere and I am unable to help). This is my old '93 Camry that he inherited going to college. 163k miles, in excellent shape for an 18 year old car (I'd drive it to work if it was still at home). I've worked on this car many times so I know it's quirks/issues, but, since it has been parked in Austin for most of the last 5 years, I am not as in tune with any problems. Anyway, he is trying to seek my advice on how to get it started so he can make it home. Immediately, dad mode kicks in. I try to diagnose the symptoms and give him some pointers that I would do if I were there (hard to do via cell phone). A couple of tricks/tests are of no help. It's hard to diagnose a problem from 165 miles away, but I try. Make sure it is fully engaged in park - nope, that doesn't work. Battery ok - check. Turn off the transaxle (neutral) safety switch - nope, no help. All the little tricks I've learned over the years did not seem to help him. At this point I was resigned to have the car towed in to check it out but told him to check the fuses to see if there were any that might have blown or gotten old/brittle. This is hard to do via phone and having no visual reference, but he insisted to try it out. He located the fuse box, scoped out one of the possible circuits and pulled the fuse and checked it out (looked ok). He reset the fuse and tried to start the car and, shazam, it worked! He was happy and grateful to have it running and able to drive home. I was overwhelmed/amazed that this simple "swag" method even worked!

I felt like I've definitely earned a few extra cool dad points this weekend.

So, was it wrong to do the happy dance? The dogs seemed to enjoy.

And just for those curious minds out there, here's a close up of Blaze....

Always a lady

California Dreaming - et al

2011-09-30T20:37:00.000-05:00

Yea, I know. Bubble Gum Alley is/was kinda gross (in a fascinating sort of way). Just imagine the dedication and effort that went into creating that spot... Nah. It's still gross.

I'll give everyone a 2nd shot at Blaze to see if you can discern anything unique.

Paso Robles is a very uniqu town with lots of interesting shops. Oh, sure, lots craft and clothing stores, but does your town have a pet specialty/bakery store with a dog bone shaped cakes and treates?

I will admit to spoiling my two mutts, but not sure they would appreciate a doggie stroller. BTW - this was right next to the bubble gum alley.

Calfornia Dreaming - Part Duex

2011-09-26T05:42:00.000-05:00

The road trip out west was short (3 days) but I covered a lot of ground, so I have a few more road nuggets to pass along (things you see or do or experience that are not in the normal tour books). I do a lot of trips for my company and, if I can control the agenda, I try to get in some local "flavor". Life's an adventure, if you know where to look for it.

The Hearst Castle was totally off the hook amazing. Seriously. If you ever get out to the west coast, you gotta take the side trip out to take the tour. Allot yourself about 1/2 day to take it all in. I can personally guarantee it will be worth the effort/cost. My parental units were out on the east coast this summer and they toured the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina and I hear it rivals this place. According to Wikipedia, it is one of those placed built back in the "Gilded Age".

While we were out touring the west coast, we ate/drank at various local venues. Remember, from my earlier ramblings, I am on a mission to try local breweries wherever I visit. So far, I ain't been disappointed in my exploration.

Paso Robles is a nice, if not expensive community about 1/2 way between LA and San Francisco. In the middle of the upper wine country with a bunch of wineries, it can make for a nice vacation destination spot, but I am not sure I would rate it highly for a family trek (unless you throw in a side trip to Disneyland California). Nice town for a visit but not convenient to fly into. We could have flown into Bob Hope airport and drove the 3 hours up the coast but, being the trip leader, I booked my ticket into San Luis Obispo and we drove up the 25 miles from there to Paso. San Luis Obispo is an interesting little town that boasts the most "livable city" or so the car rental agency guy told us. Lots of local restaurants and shops. We stayed in Paso for the two nights, but I would have moved us south to San Luis if I had known the local story. We drove back down on Thursday to catch our noon flight out of SBO (tiny airport) and had some time to kill. While touring the "downtown area" looking for a lunch gig, we uncovered a number of shops & restaurants that looked really enticing. We also discovered that they have a small creek that runs through the downtown area that they built up various shops/restaurants overlooking.

While exploring the area, we came across a couple of interesting sights (aka road nuggets). First we ran into a quasi parade with a number of fire engines/equipment. This had a number of old time horse drawn equipment and firemen on display next to the city hall. We thought we had stumbled onto some kind of town celebration, but it turns out to be a funeral for a local fire chief. The entire fire department had turned out for the funeral of an older, much beloved fire chief. I got my intel from one fireman who was tending to the station Firedog called "Blaze". A rescued Dalmatian that has been part of the department for 10+ years. Really compelling story, amazing sight. I swear you cannot buy this on any local tour. Bonus points for anyone who can tell me anything unique about Blaze.

Blaze

Our second road nugget wasn't quite as compelling. IMHO, it sorta borders on the gross. While checking out the local shops, we stumbled across Bubble Gum Alley. This was a narrow alley between two store that was, ISYN, covered with old, used bubble gum up to 10 feet high. My coworker wasn't as impressed as I was, but I had to go back to the car to get my camera to document my find. Where was this site in the Fodor's guide?

Bubble Gum Alley

Yes, it is what you think it is

Gross or Art?

California Dreaming

2011-09-24T07:38:00.001-05:00

Whoops. Where did the time go? Last time we chatted, I was camped out in Austin for some training. I sorta got busy/sidetracked there for a bit and neglected my duties. I am making the rounds to everyone's blogs trying to catch up.

Made it back from Austin with no problems. Got a chance to visit with junior one night before my training started. He is doing very well with the new job, new apartment, paycheck. Training was good, but, to me, it was more of a distraction from work. I've done a number of training sessions on negotiations and communications, so this was a good refresher for me. Besides, it got me out of the office for three days on a paid trip. Can't complain about that.

Drove back to Houston late in the week. The fires south of Austin had closed the route I normally take, but that was a minor inconvenience for me. Nothing compared to the people who lost everything in those fires. A large portion of the Bastrop area has been burned out including the state park with several old CCC stone cabins that we have stayed in years ago.
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Someone (who shall not be named) has been after me to get off my butt and get back into the game, so I let her pick today's thread - California roadtrip.

Last month, I was back out on the road to California for another supplier audit. This is my 4th year of doing these audits and my second time out to this area. They are located in Paso Robles about halfway between LA and San Francisco. Smack dab in the middle of wine country. There are dozens of wineries dotted around the hillsides. If it wasn't a business trip, I would have been tempted to try a few of the local vintages.

Long driveway to shovel

Casa Grande (aka Hearst Castle)

Care for a dip?

The greeting room

Lots of statuary

Neptune Pool

Front door

What a view!

Indoor diving pool

Last time we came here was 4 years ago and we tried to get out to the coast to San Simeon to see the Hearst Castle, but arrived too late to make the last bus ride up. This time, I knew the deal so I planned our arrival early enough to make the side trip. A few weeks back, I talked about German Castles. America doesn't have many castles or fortresses like the old world, but this one is definitely one to add to your bucket list. Started in 1919, finished in 1947, this was built by William Randolph Hearst (Hearst Publications). Perched on top of the hills on the California coastline, it overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It is an incredible place with spectacular views, amazing architecture, innovative designs (for the time), and stunning opulence. This is one of those places you build when you have more money than god. If you are ever out west and in the area, you must take the time to tour the place.

Side note: if it looks like gold, it is.

Road food

2011-09-07T18:32:00.000-05:00

Back out on the road again. Actually, I have took off last week to burn up some vacation time. Took my trailer up to College Station over the weekend for the opening game of our football season. I had to break my vacation time to attend a training session in Austin this week, but I did get to see junior for dinner last night in his new apartment. He started his new career on Tuesday so he has joined the ranks of taxpaying world. I dimly recall my first "job" in the Army and how it was the start of my journey into the world.

From my previous ramblings, one might surmise I travel a bit. Not as much as others in the company, but it does keep me on the road a number of days. When traveling, I try to watch what I eat. Too much fast food, too many hotel breakfasts, too many company lunches, I am stuffed by the time I head home. I actually run more on the road in the mornings as a pennance to my overindulgence. I attempt to maintain some sort of discipline, but it is hard to turn down some really exotic offerings. I have eaten a variety of food and try to sample local foods/restaurants whenever possible.

That said, I do venture into some interesting venues. While in College Station for the game, we were planning on cooking dogs & burgers out at the trailers, but, honestly, it was too dad blamed hot & windy. So we jumped in the land barge and headed 10 miles west of town to the small country town of Snook, Texas. Not a lot to see in Snook, but they do have a great sausage store (Slovacek) and country restaurant that has some unique specialties. Got to try some really "healthy food" I have never had before. Their trademark specialty? How about: Chicken Fried Bacon.

OMG!!! Heart Attack with Gravy

BTW - I am currently camped out in Austin right next to all the fire activity. Not close (30 miles east of here), but it is close enough to see the smoke & haze. Lots of local coverage shows the fires.

Turning the page

2011-09-01T20:54:00.001-05:00

World travelers

Junior's come and gone. It has been whirlwind week with him from when he arrived back in town from his world tour until he left to go back to Austin in Wednesday. One day later than he planned, but momma was happy for the extra time. We got to spend time with my parents for a some Mexican food (in short supply in Europe) and a post birthday celebration. I even got to spend some valuable windshield time with him mano-a-mano on our trip across town. I don't like to grill him for details, momma likes to pry on his plans but I was able to get some intel out of him (without resorting to waterboarding). He is heading back to Austin to start his new job next week right after Labor Day and is excited/nervous to join the workforce. Nothing confirmed, but I was able to glean some info out of him and I think that the two lovebirds might be planning a June/July event (but don't quote me).

Terri has an excellent post to her kids about taking the next step. Given her exceptional writing skills and ability there is no way I could ever hope to match her soliloquy on leaving the nest. I agree with her comments/thoughts 110%, even though we are on the other side of the fence. 5 years ago, we drove our only son up to college and helped him set up his room/college life. It doesn't really seem that long ago. He has changed over the last 5 years. Grown up. Found his own personality. Got an education. Earned a degree. Discovered the love of his life. When he pulled out on Wednesday, it struck me that he was not leaving for school anymore. He was heading out to start his new career/life. This has been long in coming and we are ecstatic that he is doing what he wants to do, but there is some kind poignant moment here. To paraphrase Terri, he opened the door and stepped through it. Oh sure, he may be back on the weekends and he will always have a warm bed and cold beer here, but in my mind, he has now embarked on his next big adventure. Something we have been preparing for for a long, long time, but we are still not ready to accept it.

Just to drive home the point tonight, when I got home to a pair of needy dogs, I found this on my doorstep...

I guess this makes it official

The nut doesn't fall far from the tree

2011-08-26T21:21:00.004-05:00

The world traveler's back. Lots of stories, lots of pictures. He was up for almost 24 hours traveling back stateside (I can relate), so he crashed upon impact once he hit the doorstep. Not expecting a lot out of him this weekend.

One thing he did show me was his souvenir from his travels in Europe. Nothing says German like a good bier stein....

Eine bier, bitte!

Somehow, here I am thousands of miles away and my darling bride is blaming me for this one...

Homeward bound

2011-08-26T10:06:00.001-05:00

You gotta love technology. Years ago, when we travelled abroad, the only way we had to communicate was through either a intricate long distance phone calls or a post card (or smoke signals) to home telling everyone we arrived safely.

Nowadays, with GPS and smart phones, you can keep up to date with anyone around the world. One neat little site I stumbled across was http://www.flightstats.com/. It allows you to track flights and review any potential delays or problems. You can actually track a flight in progress to see where it is and when you need to head out for the airport. As of this morning, junior has crossed back over the pond and is somewhere over Canada.

I see you

When in Rome

2011-08-25T05:26:00.002-05:00

One day left on the world tour.

The gypsies took the train back to Zurich so that girlfriend could catch the return flight back home on Monday (she starts school this week). Junior and his friend then hopped the train down to Rome where they've been exploring the old city. The Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vatican, St Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel - you know all the touristy spots. A lot of ground to cover in two days and they were duly impressed.

Somehow, we never made it down into Italy when we were over in Germany. We never had the time or opportunity or inclination to make that road trip. We are glad they made the trek over there to see some of history up close & personal. He is slated to catch a return flight tomorrow back home to the land of no rain and 100+ degree temps.

Oh, and I probably should note that it is the 24th anniversary of the arrival of our little tax deduction/financial investment.

Happy Birthday, Explorer!

Let them eat cake

Travel abroad

2011-08-21T09:10:00.000-05:00

Just an update on the traveling pair.

Junior and fiance are having a blast in Europe. No post cards or pictures yet (much to momma's dismay), but we do get snippets of information as they find a WiFi signal or as he updates his facebook status. Started out in Zurich, took the train up to Paris where they met up with their friends and spent several days touring the various sights/spots (Eiffel tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Versailles). Took an overnight train down to Munich and have been touring the local haunts & bier gardens of Munich. They are enjoying the culture and lifestyle of Europe. His facebook comment from earlier this week: got into Munich at 7am and saw a guy enjoying a beer with his breakfast. I guess this is how things roll in Germany.

They took a side trip down to see Neuschwanstein - an incredible castle in alps of southern Germany. If you have time to see only one castle, Neuschwanstein is it. This is the story book castle that Walt Disney based his Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland upon.

A castle fit for an opera

My son, a man of few words, simply commented - awesome. I would agree.

So much to eat, so little room

2011-08-18T04:45:00.008-05:00

More from the road trip to Deutschland.

The one thing that I always recalled about our time in Germany was the food was always good. We tried to eat out as much as we could afford. Local food was fantastic. Our little town of Boeblingen was located south of Stuttgart and we had a slew of family run German restaurants to chose from. We found a great Italian restaurant that became our favorite for New Year's dinner. One Yugoslavian place served some really fantastic spicy dishes. Throw in the local McDonald's (where they serve beer), a few wurst stands and one really lousy Mexican restaurant, you could say we never starved for action over there.

On my recent foray back to Germany, I set out with a number of agendas/objectives. One was food. It may have been 30 years ago, but I distinctly recall some outstanding meals/food over there. My intent was to revisit some of the dining experiences from the past and I wasn't disappointed.

Jager Schnitzel (first in country meal)

And, of course, it wouldn't be real with a good bier

Breakfast

The real deal - wurst, sauerkraut & a dark bier

Sehr gut

Volksmarch lunch

Volksmarch Breakfast

This doesn't include the fantastic Italian restaurant in Hanau (Sea Bass to die for), of the veal medallions or pork roast. German food is not for the lite weight, but it is incredibly fresh, tasty and very filling.

So much to see, so little time

2011-08-16T18:01:00.004-05:00

Back in the 80's, Momma and I lived overseas in Germany for about 5 years with the Army. We had just graduated from college, got married and I signed up as an Army officer in an Armor unit stationed overseas for 5 years. This was back in our earlier, poorer days and we were were just starting out and had nothing but debt and a 2nd Lieutenant's salary to get by. But we did ok but we worked to save as much money as we could. That meant local trips & cheap vacations, but a trip back home was cost prohibitive at the time. So, essentially, we moved out of our homes and did not come back home for almost 5 years. Remember, this was back before cell phones, IM, facebook and skype. Needless to say, I was persona non grata with the in laws for a while.

The one thing we loved to do was to get away from the base. The military community was very tight knit and they tended to cling together when stationed OUS (outside US). A lot of soldiers and their families were stationed on or adjacent to their post. Each post was like a little oasis of Americana in a foreign land. We used to call our post "little America" where you could get regular down home stuff like Budweiser or Cheetos or Levis. We tried to acclimate to the local economy and shop/eat/live as the locals did. Did we make mistakes? Yep. Did we screw up the language? You bet. Did we embarrass ourselves? More than likely. Did we have a blast? Hell yea. Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone to find new things. And you might actually enjoy some of them.

While I was over there, I tried to hit some of the places I remember, but I only had a few days to cover the entire country. A couple of castles, a winery, two towers, my old army post, a few local towns. No way I covered it all, but I did enjoy what I saw. Didn't get lost, but there were a few times that I was "geographically dysfunctional". I cannot admit to any excursions over there, but if you hear any stories of a psychotic American driving a Kia Venga driving down the the streetcar tracks and across the main plaza of Mannheim, you didn't get it from me.

Bad Durkheim

Local water park

Wine, anyone?

Being A/R, I had planned my trip out in advance, but I was willing to go off script as the opportunity presented itself. After my business deal was done, I had 3 to burn, so I headed south out of Frankfurt to my old stomping grounds. Wandered through the wine country for several hours, got stuck a 3 hour traffic jam on the autobahn, tried to take a "short cut" through several towns, almost ran out of gas, wound up in my old town at a fantastic gasthaus. I even lucked into a local town festival for the night. Lots of bier, bands, wurst, and local bands. Nothing like hearing American Girl in German to make it real.

Local bands rocking the plaza!

Hard to imagine we started out here 30 years ago
(3rd floor, middle window)

Living vicariously

2011-08-14T08:16:00.001-05:00

Junior and future DIL landed in Zurich Friday no issues. They texted us from their hotel at 0400 (1100 their time) that they had made their hotel. They have 2.5 days in Zurich before they hop a train to Paris. Sounds glamorous. I would be jealous if I hadn't just pulled off a one week trip to Germany just last month.

We spent almost 5 years of our life over in Germany and we fell in love with the country. No matter what kind of lifestyle you enjoy, there is always something to peek your interest. Whether it is exploring old castles and ruins from the 1700s, looking at battlefields from recent wars, discovering the treasures of the last century, touring the wine country, or sampling the local breweries, there is something for everything. I noted from my recent road trip, if you ever do get over to the old country, try to take time to tour some of the local sites. Germany has lots of older buildings/castles/fortresses many of which date back to the middle ages. During my short trip over to Frankfurt last month, I was only able to squeeze in two days to fart around and I worked max out my exploring. Got to see a few burgs on a drive by basis. Toured the Heidelberg Castle and Hanau Palace briefly. The thing that always impressed me was the the depth of culture and history. They have homes and buildings that date back to the 1800's. Castles that were build 2-300 years ago (or longer). If you are adventurous, you can explore ruins (or still standing castles) that are older than many countries. To me, it is always interesting and inspiring to walk the walls and parapets of things that were built ages ago. Today, society seems to be more interested in the latest technology or whiz-bang device that may on last a year or two. In Houston, one of our cultural icons was the Astrodome. An innovation at the time, it opened a mere 45 years ago, but, with advent of newer, larger stadiums, it has been vacant for almost 10 years waiting for the city to decide its fate.

Heidelberg Castle

Hanau Palace

Ruins surrounding Steinheim