Ahm baaack.

Anybody got a towel?

Short version: Nice road trip. Great hotel. Too much food. Good audit. Nice trip to the falls. Long flight home.

Got back late last night. Long flight. Some weather delays on the east coast, but we seemed to skirt the weather problems and were pretty much on time. I hate getting in late at night and having to go in early the next morning just to stay ahead of the pack, but that's the ride I signed up for, so Tally Ho!

Nice time to visit upper state New York. They, like some others around the globe, have had a preponderance of rain this summer and this was their first break in the weather for some time. Very nice weather. Not too cool, not too hot, and, since I was avoiding south Texas and the 98+ temps, I was OK with that. Conducted our audit with no issue and had a chance to visit the falls Tuesday evening. It was nice and not too crowded since it was after 1900. Spend some time wandering around the park and even went down to the Cave of Winds. Basically a tourist gig where you don cheap rain gear and even cheaper sandals to stand at the base of the falls and get wet. Neat, but I'd highly recommend taking a 2nd set of clothes and nothing you don't mind getting wet. The falls were pretty neat and I could have spend a few more hours there exploring, but I was with a supplier and my team wasn't in an adventurous mode so we went off to a nice steak dinner in Lewiston (north of the falls area). I'd like to have had more time to explore the upper New York state area, but you take what you can get. Yesterday was crappy weather so we did not go back to the falls but opted to visit the Anchor Bar& Grill in Buffalo (Home of the Original Buffalo Wings). Not bad, but, honestly, I've had better wings at Hooters. Flight was long & mind numbing. There was one small child who screamed & cried the entire flight from Baltimore to Houston (and I don't mean quiet screams). Not sure what her issue was, but I was vacillating between frustration and empathy. On one hand, I could feel the frustration and irritation of the surrounding passengers (and their eardrums) for being locked in a small metal tube at 30,000 feet with a very loud & unhappy child. On the other hand, I felt sorry for her and her mom who was trying to control/quiet her thoughtout the trip with little success. I guess I may have mellowed in my old age, but having a kid with ear infections (along with a myriad of other strange maladies), I can emphasize with some parents on handling their offspring in public. If you have ever had to deal with a ill or cranky child in a public venue, you may have some sense of understanding.

Now click your heals 3 times and repeat after me:

There's no place like home....