I’m in hate mode at the moment.
Still have to go to Staples, Petco, the cigar shop, and Kohl’s. ATM machine. Ticket and rental car printouts and directions from the airport to the house. Have to get the animals to the kennel. Packing. Figure out what laundry I missed.
This is why Valium should be available over the counter.
Got back in this afternoon - tired as hell, but what a great little trip. I have SO many damn pictures to go through and right now I can barely see straight, so it will have to wait. This is the view from the top floor of the hotel where my room was:
It’s snowing in Philly today, and no one is freaked out about it. Cars are not spinning out, cab fares have not been doubled, school is in session and yes, it’s definitely different than DC.
Well, what I’ve seen of Philly so far is pretty cool. Granted, I may just be in the fun part of town, but it definitely has a different vibe from DC. (Yes, I have the laptop. Given that I filled 2 of my 3 memory cards on my camera today, bringing it along seems to have been a good idea.)
Amtrak was a great way to get up here - nice to sit and just watch the world go by out the window on the way instead of madly searching for the right exit.
First stop off the train was a shoe shine. My timberlands were looking a little on the sad side. $7 very well spent for some seriously shiny boots.
Dropped off the bags at the hotel and headed out.
First stop - Reading Terminal Market for a quick snack, since it’s right in between the hotel and the convention center. Oh. My. God. I’d been told this was a place I could get food, but I was NOT prepared for this. The place is huge, has EVERYTHING you could possibly want to eat. And not just prepared stuff, fresh meats, seafood, produce. Seriously, whatever you’re in the mood for, they have it. To the point where it is actually somewhat overwhelming. Me? Being the exotic one, I ended up with coffee & a croissant. Hey, it was still early. It’s highly likely I’ll be back over there for breakfast or lunch or something before I leave. Also, seeing the occasional sign in German in the place just warmed my heart.
Then off to the flower show. Wow. I always knew I was a suck gardener, but this really cemented it. I’ll be getting up the rest of the pics later this week - I really think that is the best way to explain the whole thing. You really don’t have to be a garden freak for this - it’s just tons and tons of really pretty flowers and plants and just a plain nice place to wander around. It’s mainly a competition - take your 4H botany competition at the county fair, put it on enough steriods to make the Balco case look like they were dealing tic-tacs, and you have the Philly Flower Show. Over 100 classes of entries, from regular flowers and plants (ie, small irises, hanging plants, etc.) to artistic entries. The artistic entries included miniature arrangements, jewelry made from plants & flowers, landscaping designs for things such as arbors/entryways/whole yards. The artistic entries had to stay in the theme of “Legends of Ireland” and there was just some really lovely work done by these folks. The local nurseries/landscapers/floral designers had exhibits as well, also keeping in the theme, even if there were a couple that were slightly more reminiscent of a Lucky Charms advert. Like I said, I think the pictures can do it more justice than I can.
The flower show also had some culinary demos as well. Caught two of those, and they were pretty good. I expected they’d somehow tie it back into the flower show with something along the lines of cooking w/edible flowers or something like that, but it was just “normal” stuff, but still cool.
First one was a chef from Acme Markets, which I gather is the local version of Wegman’s from the way they talked about it. I felt a little bad for him. First, the “host chef” who is introducing all the chefs doing demos this week made a really big deal abut how Acme donated the cookware and it was SO great even their chef was using it. I could see him cringe a tiny bit over this. It’s non-stick stuff, and I know how I feel about non-stick, and how a certain other chef I know feels about it, and from the look on this guys face it appeared he was trying hard to remind himself “they pay me to do this.” He also had to talk up the store through it, and you could just tell he’d really rather just be talking about the food. He did a pan seared ribeye and mashed sweet potatoes with a blood orange compound butter. He had this kickass ricer/masher he said he’d just gotten from Poland. I tried to get a closer look right after the demo, but the kids from the local culinary school that were recruited for help and cleanup were overly efficient and it had already been dumped in a bucket of suds in the back. Bummer. At one point he also said the words, “I know Rachel Ray says [do it this way], but you don’t want to do it that way – trust me on this.” I’m not sure he made it out alive after that.
Second one was the chefs from LaCroix – apparently a rather high end place here in town. Couldn’t help but notice they were sticking with their stainless steel cookware. They did a sautéed fish with an egg sauce with a pineapple garnish. I’ll have to look it up – it really looked great. The lady next to me was just horrified at the fact that they charge $52 for Sunday brunch. Hey, someone must be paying and frankly, it may very well be worth it. One of the chefs said they had something along the lines of 200 items or some equally insane number.
After going through all the exhibits and demos, it was snack time again. I swear, when I am on vacation I eat constantly. Popped into the Independence Brew Pub, right next to the hotel. Went in based on some good sounding things on the appetizer menu, only to find out half of them aren’t on the “bar menu”. (WTF, it’s all in the same room.) So I ended up with a chicken quesadilla that while it was edible, was truly nothing I’d want coming out of my kitchen. However, the Oatmeal Stout (brewed there) kicks ass.
So, if you ‘re in Philly next to the Reading Terminal Market, hit Independence Brew Pub for the beer, NOT the food. Sure, you probably shouldn’t go to a brew pub for the food in the first place, but really, it’s pub fare, it really shouldn’t be something you can screw up.
The hotel is great - Marriott does a good job of keeping my business. Dinner at Cuba Libre was AWESOME, and will get it’s own write up at some point, most likely after I get some sleep.
A Charlie Brown Christmas, as performed by the cast of Scrubs. Absolutely brilliant. 10:20 and worth every second - thanks to autiger23 for the link.
In other news, I have actually been READY for my Philly trip - as in everything actually packed and ready to go (less a few minor “oh, I need” items) since around 8PM this evening - this is nothing short of a miracle for me. Normally, I’d still be doing laundry at this point and freaking out. Here’s to making a concerted effort to get my sorry ass more organized and it actually paying off!
I am really looking forward to this trip. The main reason is the Philly Flower Show, which my Mom & I had said on more than one occasion that we needed to do, but unfortunately, hadn’t managed to do. Well, no time like the present. Additionally, I’ll be hitting the King Tut exhibit (ticket in hand!) and I have reservations at a couple very promising places for dinner. The Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar and
Moromoto. Yes, that Morimoto. And I’ll be doing my damndest to hit Monk’s Cafe to boot. This trip has quickly turned into the “Happy Birthday to Me” eating and drinking fest.
Hopefully many really good pics will follow in the next couple days.
Well, amazingly enough the pancakes came out pretty darn well despite the fact that I literally cannot remember the last time I made them. (Thank god for bisquick and buttermilk.) However, I do need to locate a better pan for it next time around, cause flipping them was a little on the sketchy side and there were a few that ended up in the trash. The paprika bacon was wonderful, no surprise there.
I do believe I’ll have a Mardi Gras Guinness before the night is over, if nothing else to drown my sorrows if the Caps don’t win this evening. (3-2 Montreal, 10:15 left in the 2nd period.)
By sheer luck I stumbled on a link for the Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar via del.icio.us, clicked on it because it sounded intriguing and discovered it’s in Philly, less than a mile from where I’ll be staying next month. Oh hells yes, I’ve made a reservation for when I’m up there. Really looking forward to this trip. Which also reminds me that I have GOT to figure out where on earth I put my camera.
Thanks to Celia for letting me know that the area I was looking at in Philly is a pretty decent part of town AND giving me a restaurant recommendation to boot. Got my tickets for the museum exhibit, the flower show folks say there is no problems with tickets at the door, and hotel is booked. (And I am pretty sure center city hotels are making ALL their money for the year off this one week of the flower show.)
I’m thinking I may just take the train up - looking at the Amtrak schedules, there are tons of trains going up and back, and even with getting to the metro & Union Station, I think it would be better than trying to drive in an unfamiliar town.
It’s been much too long since I’ve gone somewhere new & different - this should be fun.
So, I’m thinking I may head up to Philly next month for a couple days for the Philadelphia Flower Show & the Tutankhamun exhibit. Looking at the maps, the convention center/hotel/museum all are within about a mile of each other, which is good, but I know absolutely nothing of Philly, so it may also all be in the skankiest part of town.
So, if anyone out there knows the area around the convention center at all and can tell me if it’s semi-decent or if I’m not going to want to even leave my hotel room, that would be great.
Picked up my grandmother today and got the gate pass* to pick her up. Last year it was an actual multipart form that was filled out and I took to security. Today it was a boarding pass for a flight to Boston that said “Void without attached flight coupon”…which obviously was not attached, but had a gate number in the same security section.
The first security stop only made sure the name matched my driver’s license.
The second security person only wanted to see some piece of paper in my hand. (I shit you not, I had it folded in quarters - it could have been ANYTHING and I held it up and they waved me through.)
I forgot about the shoe thing. Note to self: Don’t wear the Timberlands when going through airport security - they don’t exactly slip on & off easily.
* Yes, Virginia, you can still go to the gate to pick someone up! Just go to the ticket counter and tell them you need a gate pass**. You need to present ID, and tell them who you’re picking up so they can check it against the manifest. You can only get 1 pass per incoming person, but it CAN be done. It may help that I walk up there and announce “I have to meet an elderly woman in a wheelchair” and I seem to have a massive protective attitude when doing it, but I don’t know of any actual “reason” that is required to get one.
** If you’ve lived in Japan, don’t go with the natural instinct of calling it a “platform pass” (pass to get to the train but not on it) cause they won’t know what the hell you are talking about.
Note to self: Ask how long the work will take before dropping off the car so you are not surprised when they say four hours. (Which I shouldn’t have been anyway.) But hey, it’s worth it, I’ll have a car in proper alignment and passing inspection.
I love how when I call my ISP they tell me I can check system status online. Chances are if I am calling, it’s because I can’t get online.
I have a small birdbath on the back deck to replace the “plastic table birdbath” that was created one day when a storm flipped it over. The new birdbath is just an oversized shallow pasta plate that seemed to be perfect and easy to keep clean, etc. I have yet to see a bird venture near the damn thing. Little flying ingrates.
The dog, who was soooo not happy with my packing up on Saturday morning, apparently got over it. It took him at least 5 minutes yesterday when I got back in before he noticed I was even back, and I got an “Oh, HI! Were you gone?!” greeting…
Colonial Beach is truly the land that time forgot. If you ever want to get away from pretty much everything for a couple days, this is a good place for it. My motel door had an actual real metal key.
Floyd Landis now qualifies as tough in my eyes. He’s getting his hip replaced after the Tour de France, and isn’t taking any pain medication in the meantime. I get a hangnail and it’s “Where is the advil and wine?!”
Moxley, Snoopy & Target all have kennel reservations for the beach trip.
*whew*
It’s gonna cost an arm and a leg, but it’s a VERY good place so I don’t care. Old Towne Pet Resort. Moxley’s “suite” is 5′x6′ (should be roomy enough for a 30 lb dog), he gets 3 walks a day, one play session, 2 meals and a snack, plus a mandatory bath cause he’s there more than 3 days. (Fine by me!)
Snoopy & Target will share a suite (25% discount on the second cat), with 2 meals a day, snack and a play session.
In addition, here are some of the other things you can get for your pets (yes, they play well into pet owner guilt)
– Grooming
– Pool sessions for dogs
– Canine massage
– TLC time (quiet one on one cuddle sessions)
– Limo service (they’ll come and pick up your pet)
– Personal Shopping Allowance - set a price limit and they’ll take your critter through the gift shop to pick out toys.
– Photos of your pet at play
– TV’s and Webcams in some suites
I seem to have spent about 15 of the last 30 hours sleeping. :)
Still flying pretty high from yesterday - what an absolutely perfect weekend, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It was great to have Matt (aka, the Marine) down there, too - I knew folks there, and it’s certainly not the end of the world to be on your own, but it just really is nice to have someone at the finish just for you.
It was such a screwy week last week, I needed this road trip/long weekend SO badly.
I have never been so happy to have a 4 hour drive ahead of me than I was Friday night. Hit the hotel, called my brother who informed me that Mason won - I’m standing in front of the hotel and screaming “YES!!!!” and getting some strange looks, but it is St Pat’s day, so they all just think I’m drunk anyway. Send Matt another email that he should come down, because the room is not a broom closet afterall and there is definitely room for another body. Hit the bar for a beer and some unwinding time - good band - if you’re ever somewhere that Rock Star Parking is playing, catch them. I ended up talking to them later down in the lobby cause I was still too wound up to even think about sleeping and ended up puttering around a bit - nice guys, too. Finally got to bed around 4 AM, after getting an email from Matt stating that I am evil.
Up at 8ish, off to breakfast, then to watch the 8K. Oh. My. God. The wind. The winds were awful. I ended up with a lovely sunburned and windburned face. I’ve got a good case of nerves going on already - the weather is freaking me out. Then my phone rings and I hear the words “I’m on my way” from Matt. WOOHOO! Then watched the little kids races, then off to packet pickup. I was prepared for it to be much more crowded, but I was in & out in no time, with race number and some throwaway gloves, cause if Sunday was going to be like Saturday, I was gonna freeze before we even got started. Back to the hotel and slept until Matt got there. Headed out for a late lunch, then we both sacked out for a couple more hours afterwards. (Sleep became a recurring theme for me this weekend.)
Then we met up with several other BT’ers for dinner. I’d met Liz & Mike before (Quantico 5 miler) and finally got to meet Christine, Shannon, Christian (and several of his friends, names completely forgotten), Debbie & Trixie. They ended up having to split us up between two tables, so it was me, Matt, Liz, Mike, Trixie, Christine & Debbie at our table. The fact that Matt did not run screaming from the restaurant is quite the testament to his character. You get 5 women together and well, things will get raunchy very quickly… Guys, you have nothing on us when it comes to locker room talk. Can’t remember the last time I laughed so much. By the time we left, the nerves were totally gone - I was ready. I’m pretty sure we were sacked out again before 10.
Then up at five-freaking-thirty the next morning. When I checked in, the desk clerk had said the kitchen opened at 7 for breakfast, despite the races. Wrong! And glad I found that out early on - they were up and running at 5:30, so I stumbled down and got a bagel. Back upstairs and let the layering begin! Ran in my bike pants again - they are great - good tight spandex on the calves and then looser at the top and fleece lined. Then tank top, throwaway t-shirt, long sleeved shirt, hat, sunglasses & tossable gloves. Only thing I’d do differently next time is grab a trashbag as a windbreaker while waiting for things to get started. We head on down to the start, I get in corral 5 (aka, the slow group), just behind the 2:30 pace group and stand around and bounce and try to stay warm. We got a flyover for our start. The entire crowd went absolutely apeshit for that. Took between 5 and 10 minutes to actually get to the start line once the gun went off. Great race, and yes, I cried when I was finished.
Finished and went and slept for a couple hours. Then we went and got lunch (Guinness and french toast. Recovery brunch of champions) and I kinda felt guilty realizing there were still people out there running the full and I had run my race, showered, slept and had lunch. :) Walking to and from lunch was…interesting. On the way back, he asked, “Where are you going?” (I’d gotten turned around and was not heading back towards the hotel…) “I don’t know - I’m just sort of trying to go in a straight line.”
Got Matt back on his way home, cheered in the 7 hour marathon group and then went and slept some more. Hit the bar for dinner, watched the last runner come in there, and then was sacked out again by 11, and slept until 8 this morning. Leisurely drive home and yet another nap upon arrival. Like I said, sleep is a recurring theme this weekend. And I still can’t get the silly grin off my face.
Oh, and if I can get a race number, I will be doing the MCM this fall.
Will do a full update/trip report tomorrow, but it’s late & I’m tired - but this was of note:
Why it’s good to hang at the race hotel for an extra nite:
You go down for a couple beers & dinner and then find yourself outside on the boardwalk, screaming in someone that has done TWO marathons in one day. (Today’s race was for a great charity and this gents goal had been ~8K and he came in around ~20K in donations…)
And oh, yeah, he’s old enough to be my grandfather. Watching that finish, with a police escort, was pretty amazing. I seemed to be the only one in the little circle of people around me that had run today - I had to do a very quick explanation of how Very Important it was to scream this guy into the finish at the top of our lungs. And we did. And I went and tackled him and gave him the biggest hug I had when he finished. And another one a couple minutes later, too. Cause damn, that is hard core.
Nothing quite like rolling into the Oceanfront at midnight on St Pats day - just a few drunk people out there. Made good time getting down here, no problems with the directions, and I am glad I came down tonight instead of tomorrow morning - I needed the road trip - I’m already more relaxed.
The room is terrific - microwave, fridge, coffee maker & a double bed, even if it is a murphy bed (it was the last room at the cheap weekend rate, the lady on the phone had initially thought it might be a single…)
The kitchenette of sorts is a very GOOD thing seeing as how the kitchen won’t be open early enough to even grab toast on Sunday, so I’ll hit the 7-11 down the street for bread or bagels or something tomorrow so I can snarf something down before going out.
Work status in limbo until next week, but boss is OK w/what I presented, we just need upper management to bite. I win no matter what, so it’s all good, just would have been nice to have it finalized before I left today.
Well, looking in the mirror, I still have a hint of red in my hair, and frankly, have a bit of an Irish thing going with my look tonight, so I’m gonna go snag me a beer downstairs - the front desk clerk was quick to point out that the bar would be open til 2AM.
Slaìnte. :)
In prep for the weekend. I think I had less stuff to go to the beach.
Gonna head down Friday night, and watch the 8K Saturday morning and putter around the Expo in the afternoon for packet pickup.
Still waiting on brightroom.com to get the pics uploaded from Sunday’s race. That is driving me a bit nuts.
I’m quite paranoid about forgetting something, but really, short of my wallet, running shoes & chip, anything I forget, I can buy down there if I have to.
They’ve republished the course map with the water stations marked on it. :) Within about 10 seconds I had that little bit of info committed to memory. 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6, 8, 9.5 & 11.
America West isn’t exactly filling me with confidence right now. I don’t think the idiot on the phone had a clue as to what is actually happening at the gates in the airport and proceeded to tell me how to find the America West ticket counter. I finally got it through to her that at the gate the airline flags & flight numbers are getting changed, and she said oh no, it would be listed as an AW flight.
At least we’ll have plenty of time for Grandma to have a full on meltdown while we wait.
But, ipod has been retrieved from the call, so all is right in my little world/
Thanks to the eagle eye of little bro, it has come to our attention that due to the merger of USAirways and America West, we may have a challenge in locating Grandma’s flight out of town on Saturday, as it may be under the original flight of America West, or listed under USAirways and a totally different flight number.
You can bet that I’ll be calling the airport so I know ahead of time for sure exactly what the hell flight we’re supposed to be looking for and I can speak with great authority and confidence in the matter so I may have a small chance in hell of convincing her that she is in fact getting on the correct flight. (Trying to take a page from
God bless Jon Stewart - the Daily Show is SO going to be on the TiVo list when it’s all setup. Tonight, his comments on the reporters & miners families ? “Quit asking how does it feel. It sucks.”
In other news, my three animals were basically like little kids with a bad case of cabin fever today. Cats chasing each other around, dog barking at the cats, cats baiting the dog by running through the kitchen when they know he won’t try it (no good traction on Pergo), more barking, more running, more insanity.
We’re mucking along as best we can so far with busy season, I feel bad that I can’t stay late and do a little more, but fortunately, my coworkers understand the situation that working late just isn’t gonna go over well at all, and when my time is up, I gotta jet. Was talking w/ a coworker and we’re trying to figure out if we’re just really that busy or if the new folks just don’t quite get the urgency yet. Of course this is tempered by one coworker who gets a client on the phone, decides the client is panicking and then does nothing except immediately dump it on one of the old timers. Thanks, cause we weren’t doing anything anyway.
So much clutter in my head right now, and I don’t seem to be able to get rid of it.
Damn I love South Park. Who knew the Sony PSP was built by God? Another one for the TiVo list.
OK, time to crash for this borderline mental patient. :)
Drive
Talk
Walk
Shop
Walk
Eat
Talk
Drive
Tons of fun, but I’m beat all to hell and going to bed - remains to be seen if any of the pics of the drive up turned out or not, will post more at another time.
Nice weekends are nicer when topped off with sleeping in on Monday. :-D
Put over 200 miles on my car this weekend, and worth every penny in gas money. Headed out 29 in search of ribs (roadside stand that is usually set up all summer at 211 & Old Bridge Rd if you’re ever out that way.) Struck out - they were closed. Not ready to turn around and go home, cause it was a gorgeous day, I continued down the road to Unicorn Winery and snagged a few bottles.
Off to Sperryville, where I stopped at the bookstore that used to be a church, then the Sperryville Diner (noted only by a sign that says “Restaurant” on the outside) for a perfect hot dog. Then to Luray, over the mountain and into New Market. Could have gotten on I-81 at that point, but nah, Rt 11 goes the same direction and it’s a much nicer drive. Through Mt Jackson, Toms Brook, Edinburg, Woodstock and Strasburg until I ran out of road and had to get back on I-66 and head home. Gorgeous day, great drive.
The problem with heading out to the hinterlands like that is that I start getting the itch to move. Almost 19 years of living in Metro DC and I just haven’t found my stride here. Ooohh, look - realtor.com has tons of stuff out in Culpeper…
Yesterday I was apparently supposed to be at a cookout, but I never got word about it, so I most likely look like a schmuck for not showing up or RSVP’ing or anything. Oops.
OK, off to get the car inspected, and then laundry!! Woohoo, I can hardly bear the excitement.
So, here’s the very long version of the trip. If you have the chance to visit Charleston, I highly recommend it.
Shem Creek is just north of Mount Pleasant, where the shrimp boats come in.
The Citadel is a very different place, to say the least. But very neat.
Thursday
— Met the legendary Col. Rembert at the campus. This guy is smooth. Instead of the usual, “What do you do for a living” question, I got, “You appear to be independently wealthy. So, what do you do with your days?”
— “Your Place” for lunch. Complete dive with the claim of “best burgers in Charleston” Not bad, but kinda expensive.
— Charleston City Market. Open air market in downtown, tons of cool stuff from food to jewelry. If you ever go, give yourself a couple of hours for this.
— Wandered around downtown.
— Vickery’s at Shem Creek for pre-dinner drinks. (Had been planning on dinner there, but discovered after ordering the wine that they were heavy on cuban food and light on seafood. I wanted seafood!)
— RB’s at Shem Creek for dinner. Mushrooms stuffed with crab, she-crab soup (omigod SO good), shrimp stuffed with crab…
— More drinks with Citadel guys at some place that I kept calling Canterbury’s and I know that’s not right and I can’t remember the name anymore.
Friday - Halloween
— Fort Sumter. Raced from the parking lot to the boat with a 5 year old in a pumpkin costume riding piggyback. We were quite a sight getting to the boat. Neat place, recommend it!
— USS Yorktown. Very cool, but cooler if it were still in service and they let you wander around.
— Twilight parade at the campus. There is a photo of me somewhere jumping like an idiot when the cannon went off.
— Reunion party at the Charleston Visitor’s Center. The Visitor’s Center is an old train station that has been really nicely renovated - they had the party out in what used to be the platform area, now where the buses come through. About half a football field long and 3 or 4 buses wide, and totally covered. Perfect place for a big party - couldn’t beleive my ears in the ladies room hearing, “I cannot beleive I got dressed up for this. I came for a party, not to stand around in a bus stop.”
— Ghost walk through Charleston. Interesting, but not gory or scary.
— More drinks over at Tommy Condon’s.
Saturday
— Wandered around the campus. Saw the barracks, watched a lot of alumi doing the “Well, back in MY day…” with the cadets, saw the Summerall Guards perform (very good), and the morning parade, where some alumni *chased* some of the cadets as they went off the field, LOL. Took great delight in pointing out to
— Tailgating
— Saw some of the alumni march on the field - thought I had missed the ‘93 group, but apparently they were somewhat drunk and disorganized and ended up going on the field with the ‘98 alums…
— Spent 1st half of game in seats waiting for the alumni I was with. Turns out they went to the wrong seats. (See ‘drunk and disorganized’ above)
— More tailgating as the Citadel got there heads handed to them.
— Dinner at Red’s on Shem Creek. More seafood. Yum!
— Back into Charleston to attempt to meet up with some other folks at some French place. Couldn’t find them. Wandered around, ran into them on the street, headed back to the French place for Irish Coffee.
Sunday
— Awake at some godawful early hour so
— Over to the USS Hunley exhibit to get tickets.
— More wandering around downtown
— Stopped over at the Col’s house to bid farewell, finally got to meet the real legend - his wife.
— Back over to USS Hunley, where we were 5 minutes late, they were kind enough to put us on the next (and last) tour of the day, and it was just us, so we got a really good tour. It is the submarine that sank the Housitania in the Civil War, and had been lost for 137 years. They found it, brought it up, have it underwater in this lab and are doing all sorts of research on it. The men that died when it sank will have a full formal burial on April 17. Very, VERY cool.
— Dinner over on Daniel’s Island at Queen Anne’s Revenge. Apparently the owner of Blackbaud communications has a pirate fetish and has this restaurant. Excellent food, and lots of neat things to look at - and all real.
— Headed down to Fripp Island.
Monday
— Not a damn thing. First night that I got to bed before midnight of the entire trip.
Tuesday
— Headed home…
…the couple in the car in the parking lot in downtown Charleston, doing things that you only see in bad porn movies.
So, yeah, coming back from vacation sucks and only reinforces how much I despise having to work for a living, but it was fun.
– Citadel football - maybe next year, guys.
– Citadel graduates - all those things they taught you, they didn’t show you how to read the seat assignment on a stadium ticket?
– Charleston - really cool little town
– Ghost walk in Charleston - not nearly as scary/morbid as they said it would be. Fascinating, but disappointing from a goriness standpoint.
– Halloween in Charleston - like Georgetown on quaaludes
– Hollywood, SC sheriff’s department - you guys are quite efficient.
Corn Festival was fun - less about corn and more about getting a TON of craft vendors & such in for the day. Had a torrential downpour right in the middle of it, but all the houses on the street it is on had covered front porches, so pretty much everyone was able to stay dry.
It was really good to see Linda & Craig again - I’ve known them forever, and they’re like a second set of parents to me. I know they’ve really been wanting to meet
As is my custom at these types of things, I know myself well enough by now to know I will spend on fun stuff that I wouldn’t get under any other circumstances. So, I am now set with fancy dip mixes for the holidays and bath salts and handmade soaps, and zero guilt. I have one soap that I can only describe as smelling like a purple sweet tart. The cats also now have shrimp & crab kitty treats. There were at least 3 pet treat vendors there. All the animals have goodies from the trip.
So, if you happen to be in Shippensburg, PA on the last Saturday in August, be sure to check out the Corn Festival.
No fate but the fate you make for yourself.
