Oh Canada!

This week I headed to visit a customer in Canada. Luckily, it is still summer and the weather was the best I have ever had there, warm 70's during the day with just dips of 40's in the evening. The site is in a small town trapped between cattle farms between Calgary and Edmonton in the Alberta province. As soon as you leave from the airport and head out on the highway, the smell of cattle is ripe in the air. Not a smell I am especially fond of, but the scenery is picturesque. You can see the Rocky Mountains right outside of town still capped with snow even in August. I did a little driving around near the old Olympic area and could see the ski jump still standing proudly. These days the Olympic focus has shifted to Vancouver from Calgary since they are the host city of next years Winter Games.

In talking with people around here, they notice quickly I was American. Questions were flying about the economy and what was happening over the border despite the amount of info they seem to already know about us. To them, they are in limbo because we are in limbo. They are waiting for us to rebound so their economy can rebound. I know the rest of the world has always watched us but in these bad times, I did not realize that the rest of the world is waiting for us to bring them back too. I had one man tell me that "your president is kinda the ruler of the world except the rest of us have no say in who he is". Interesting perspective. All I could offer them in comfort was it is difficult right now, but don't believe everything you see on TV. For the American media system, if things are good and bad, life or death, they will always tell you the bad and the death in greater length than any instance of good or life. For me, I just want to hear all the good life stuff.

AHH What a vacation!

The last few weeks I have been fortunate enough to not have to be away from home so much. But that also means that business is bad this quarter. No big surprise and I am just lucky to still be employed. Since we had the down time, my husband and I decided to go on vacation. The summer getaways are always sunny and at some beach. This year, we headed down to Aruba for the week. We had never been there before and let me say I will be going back. The beaches were with soft sands and clean. The island is so much cleaner than most places we have been and the people are so welcoming.

As for things to do, the choices are endless. Since we are Harley people, we decided to take a motorcycle tour around the island. This was 4 wheelers that we drove on and mostly off road to see the tourist sites like the Natural Bridge and the Natural Pool. We could ride 2 per bike so I sat in the back and took loads of pictures as my husband tried his best to hit top speed since they did not care what we did on the streets. I just held on.

Besides the island tours, Aruba has tons of opportunities for snorkeling and diving. I am not much for open waters, but we did out to the German merchant ship site Anguilla that sank during WWII. It is a big draw around there for diving. The island has also bought old airplanes and ships that have been sunk all around the coastline for diving and the water is so clear.

The week was up way too fast and we returned home only to be welcomed by the rains. Looking forward to the next Aruba romp.

Safe at home

The good and the bad of this economy is that work has slowed down and allowed me to remain at home for a bit. Glad to wake up in my own bed for more than just a weekend. I finally get to finish up the list of things I have been wanting to do and it only helps that the weather in warm enough to be outside. It has finally stopped raining for a few days and the grass has never been greener. The vegetable garden is well on its way to the big bounty I look forward to harvesting. On a whim, I planted some giant pumpkin seeds and already we have the littlest of pumpkins. Hopefully, it gets to be as large as the packages states because 400 pounds would be awesome to have sitting in the side yard as you drive by the house. Oh the expressions and conversations that pumpkins would bring.

I thought by now I would have cabin fever but that has not been the case. Painting, gardening, and sitting alone with my thoughts has calmed me and made me a bit hesitant to the next trip I have to take. No idea what that trip will take me, but I have thought of one just for myself. A quick trip up to Kings Island would make for a great weekend all just for me.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

For the past three weeks, I have been driving all thru the southern states wondering if this rain will stop. The past few years have been hard for these places with a constant drought. I have seen the lakes receding and watch the yards and landscapes turn brown. I think these days are over. The grass around here has never been greener from my perspective. Passing over Lake Norman in North Carolina a few years back, I noticed the level had nearly disappeared. It has filled back up over the time since but I would wonder if this rain is going to flood it over its banks. This summer I don't believe the south is going to have any water restrictions if this pace of rain cheaps up.

As my vision thru this windshield has been distorted by the constant sight of the windshield wiper flying back and forth, I wonder about my own car. I wonder if I am going to need pontoons under the chassis if these waters keep rising. Wonder if anyone is selling that kit on the internet yet.

Why am I still in this car?

With the economy where it is, I have sure seen my fair share of a slowdown. It has been a few weeks since I had to run all over but last week I had to do just that. Another beckoning to Alabama and I was on my way. Passed thru Nashville and Huntsville down to a little spot just outside of Birmingham. While there, another customer had an electrical emergency sending me back into the car and driving another 4 hours south to just outside of Montgomery. All these miles..Whew.

Luckily, I went straight to the plant and in about a half an hour got them going again only to see another bout of car riding in my future. Figured the best thing for me was to stay the night and start fresh the next morning. Driving thru Alabama does show how polar the scenery can be. The billboards around Huntsville are plastered with government contractors and space stuff. Nearing Birmingham, the commercial side is a smorgasbord of industry. Montgomery is proud of their Hyundai manufacturing facility. But between these bigger cities boasts a slower pace and a nod to the past. There is plenty of open space and lots of acreage along both sides of I-65. You just don't see all the tight fit neighborhoods. People have there own space and enjoy it. These days that is a commodity worth investing in.

From Texas to Indiana to home

For the last few weeks, I have been fortunate to be able to be home instead of running all over the country working. This year I was able to actually see the daffodils and now the tulips bloom in the front garden. I have not been able to witness that for quite a few years. Just a small part of Spring that I have really missed. While I have been home, I did make two quick trips out of the house for some quick consultations. I was able to travel down to Texas and take a drive thru the town of Lindale. I had never been there before, but they were very proud of the hometown hero, Miranda Lambert. I recognized the name on a billboard but had never heard of the town. Right in the middle of town sits a shop devoted to Miranda and I suspect you could get any type of memorabilia you wanted in there. I did not stop to take a peek since I would only be wasting their time.

As for my most recent trip, I packed up the car and drove to Indiana for a few days last week. The drive from my place to Richmond, Indiana is an easy drive through the lower part of Ohio and into eastern Indiana. Richmond has quite a bit of old and historic homes and buildings which I love to drive around and ogle. This trip was dampened by a blast of spring snow. The weather was merely cold but did not impede any views of the architecture I wanted to see. I have been to Richmond on many occasions and tend to stick with the same restaurants. I like to eat at local places and try to stay away from the national chains if at all possible. My favorite place for dinner in Richmond is The Old Richmond Inn. Not sure of the history of this place, but the staff is the same each time I visit. The menu is full of anything you could imagine from ribs, seafood, pasta, whatever. I love seafood and the special was a portabello mushroom stuffed with crab and topped with scallops. I could not have asked for a better selection. It was gigantic and I could not eat it all and it tasted fantastic. Topped off with a glass of wine and I was done for the evening. Usually, I save room for a piece of their chocolate cake, but not this time. I guess I could have gotten it to go, but I'd rather just save it for the next time.

My neighbor has a castle...

I decided to take a break from flying this week and do some good ole fashioned driving. I needed to spend some time at a location just outside of Birmingham and with the short notice the flight was ridiculously expensive. So packed up the car and headed south. I figured I could break up the drive by stopping to see some family in Nashville since I was driving right through on my way.

This trip clocked over 8 hours of driving and 3 states before I finally go to my destination. But not before passing some interesting sites. I have driven through Lexington, Kentucky before but never on the way that this trip took. I never expected to see a stone castle with turrets and everything just planted on the side of the road. This was just down the street from the horse track and near the private plane airport. Now this castle looked to be still under construction, but will definitely be awe inspiring and maybe a tourist trap when completed. My niece would have loved to see it, so I dragged out my camera, pulled over, and snapped a shot hoping to remind her that fairy tales do exist in this world. I was a bit smitten with the place since it was so different than today's cookie cutter subdivisions across this great land. This was new and meticulously thought out. I wondered what the inside would look like. Would it be decorated to match the days of old or would they bring the inside into the 21st century with modern furniture, etc. Only time will tell and I hope this place will give tours.

My work in Alabama was complete and turned back toward the house. I passed the castle once again and gave it a smile this time instead of the wide eyed expression from the first pass. I could only hope that a family gets to move in and let their children experience being real princes or princesses in such a fantastic place.

After getting a bit curious able this mammoth place, I did a little searching on the internet. Turns out this place has quite a history. It was built, but never quite completed by the original owner who recently passed away. The current owner has refurbished it and turned it in to an exclusive bed and breakfast. They even have private events there. It is now called Post Castle after the curent owners. Glad to see it is used and what construction I saw must just be maintenance or new additions. Glad to hear all that is not being wasted.

Virginia on My Mind

Spent the past few weeks with a couple days at a pop driving through eastern Virginia just south of the Potomac. Just sailing east on I-64 towards Richmond reminds me how much I love to see the historical markers for Civil War battlefields or other points of interest. All over the south, these signs entice drivers and tourist to stop and take a walk down memory lane. The roads around Richmond were littered with these markers. The ones that caught my attention were those marking items related to George Washington. Maybe next time I drive through I will find the time to stop and check out these snippets of days passed. After all, don't we all owe him just a bit of our time to show respect to him for all the time he spent for us.

Staying close to home

I can never fully appreciate a week spent at home. I usually get Saturday and Sunday back at the house, but rarely get to spend an entire week there. I really miss flopping down on the couch and enjoying just being home. I must admit, it feels a bit surreal. I am so used to being in hotels and worrying about where I can sit safely that once I get home I just want to take up every inch of my couch. Hotels are notorious for mystery stains on the furniture and with my mild OCD I have to think thru where I place my things and where I will sit. The office chair placed by the desk in the hotel room gets a swift swipe down with the sanitizer and wash cloth before I park myself. I realize some are saying that the maid cleans that, yet that is not comforting and you can never clean it enough.

Back to enjoying my week at home. The weather this week was pretty cold and snow fell nearly everyday. When I flew in at the lovely time of midnight, the airport staff was quick to let everyone know it was below zero and counting. Great news. Once back at the house, the heat and fireplace were all I needed. The little things I love to be at home with. The grateful, happy welcome of the dog as I drag my suitcase back in the house even though I have interrupted his sleep. Not to worry. Once I get settled and ready for bed myself, he has beat me to it.

The things outside in the gardens remind me how much I miss with my weekly jaunts. I noticed yesterday that some of the daffodils are starting to peak out of the mulch out front. There has been a covering of snow, and with the sun finally shining melting most of it, the faintness of spring is starting to show. Yes, this is still January and I am not blind to this. But it seems as if I just cut down the vines and pruned the bushes in the fall. Now my bulbs are growing. Where in the world has the last 6 months even gone. If this is how time is moving, summer will be here before I know it. Not a moment to soon.

Back from warmth

With the rest of the eastern seaboard being ravaged by subzero temps, I was lucky enough to head south for a few days in Florida. As usual, I was told they were ready for me and it should be an overnight thing. WRONG! Ended up staying there all week. My destination was Bartow where orange groves still exist. They do seem to be nearing extinction, but are still sporadically thrown in between subdivisions and strip malls. I was hoping to get a few things done in the evenings around Bartow that I love to catch up on. A must have for dining in the area is a local place called Harry's Old Place. This small unadvertised restaurant has the best seafood in the area in my opinion. Whenever we go, there is always a line and is full of retirees that live right there in Winter Haven. They have nightly specials that are written feverishly before the dinner crowd on a chalkboard in the dining area. I always get the same entree unless it is sold out, which happens alot in my experience. My favorite is the Grouper Special where a generous portion of grouper is topped with scallops, shrimp, and crap which has all been what I believe to be sauteed with Old Bay seasoning. The scallops are always large and the shrimp is sweet and perfectly cooked. Throw in some potatoes or whatever veggie of the day and you'll be throwing in the towel and loosening your belt.

The ambiance in Harry's is a very laid back which I love. The restaurant is set on one of the many lakes throughout Winter Haven and peeks out between two sets of woods. A small sign identifies the place, but the cars parked anywhere they can is the key to knowing this is a must stop. The staff seems to stay consistent. I have been dining here for upwards of three years and see the same woman seating us and who I think is Harry shuffling hot plates of out the kitchen to his patrons tables. This visit, we had to wait (no surprise there) and stood by the bar. The bartender had stepped away before I walked up which left me waiting. A woman sitting at the bar asked my what I wanted, hopped out, and got my drink without question. This left me ackward since I had not paid. Ten minutes went by and back was the bartender who was passed my drink order. The young woman was his wife and she always liked to help. Not many places have the spouses helping out just to make sure the patrons are satisfied.

Heading west over the bay to St. Petersburg houses a little guilty pleasure of mine, The Salvador Dali Museum. This trip did not allow me to go, but I keep my options open each time I fly in thru Tampa. It's been a while since I have visited so the paintings being displayed I am sure have changed which makes me want to see it more. This museum is set right on the water and houses a huge collection of Salvador Dali works. Just one guy hanging on these walls. They do have pieces that come thru on loan from other collections and they even loaned out pieces to the airport which was nice. I got to view a few selections just hanging out before heading over to security. But I need to make time for Dali next time since we have not seen each other and I miss him.

Getting started

Over the past few years, my job has required me to travel. Not a big deal, except the places that I end up rarely are the meccas of culture or history. Just wide spots in the road that need a bit of my attention so I can get a paycheck twice a month. Recently, the travel of two weeks a month has grown into more of a Monday through Friday minimum with me trying to make it home on Friday night. Laundry just seems to go from the suitcase to the washer and dryer only to end up right where it started.

As the new year begins, I thought it may be better suited to see these weekly jaunts over the country as a bit more than a chore. Why not chronicle these trips so others may see a small glimpse into a part of America they may have otherwise not known to even exist. The new year brought me to visit West Virginia and enjoy some skiing with my friends. Good ole Snowshoe did not disappoint despite so many people enjoying its trails. I had never been to Snowshoe, but everyone kept telling me how much better it was than Winterplace or the other ski places I had been to in North Carolina. Growing up in Florida, snow was a fantasy let alone the idea of skiing on it. The only skiing I had learned was on water. Still, I want to get better and the only way to improve is with practice. Snowshoe was packed with families ringing in the new year and tons of college kids breaking in their new snowboards. The snowboarder mentality is something I was not used to. I don't want to fall or run into any other people while on the slopes. Snowboarders, at least the couple that ran into me, do not have this outlook. They have the carefree attitude of a young person without any responsibility. Luckily, nobody got hurt that I saw, but I could see real potential for damage with these kids flying down the mountain seemingly out of control. Odds are not in their favor if a younger kid crosses their path when the trails cross.

We stayed in the Mountain Lodge which was perfect. It is right on one of the lifts so we just had to walk outside and ski away. Once you park the car, there was no need to get back in it until we left. Restaurants, shopping, and sundries were all within walking distance so we stayed within the resort for the most part. We did pile into the car to take a trip a bit down the mountain to the other property Silver Creek. Big difference in that they had night skiing and the amount of people during the day was a fraction of Snowshoe. The best part is the lift tickets cover both places so it's a win - win situation. I preferred being at Silver Creek just because there was more room to ski and there was no waiting in lift lines. On more than one occasion we had to wait at least 30 minutes in the lift lines at Snowshoe. Never more than a 5 minute wait on the lifts at Silver Creek. We did not have to drive there since they have a shuttle between properties. But since the lifts close around 5 at Snowshoe, it would have been hard to get back to our room from the shuttle stops.

Overall, I had a great time and look forward to going back. Right now I need to start packing for my 3 day trip down to Central Florida. Hold off on the comments about how lucky it is to travel to Florida. Where I am headed is full of retirees and swamps. What a paradise!