234567

Just north of Knoxville, headed south on I-81 I looked at my odometer and it read, 234567. I found that interesting, about 10 miles later my "service engine" light came on.So I decided that I had better get to a Ford dealer and have it checked before I started the 215 mile trip home. So I pulled into Ted Russell Ford on Parkside drive. I thought I lucked out because there were no other cars in the service bay. They checked it out and I had a bad vacuum hose, I may have made it home with out the repair, or I could have broken down half way home. Anyway it needed to be done, so I gave the OK.

Then I was informed that the repair would not be able to be completed until Tuesday morning.

Great.

I had to call one of the men in my community group, Bob Cartwright to fill in for me tonight and facilitate our community group meeting.Walking around the showroom waiting for the diagnostic to be given for my zx2, I had the opportunity see some classic cars. Of course the 1966 Mustang was my favorite, the receptionist on duty looked up from her desk and must have read the question on my face, "No, it's not for sale."

Another classic, the T-Bird.

This convertible Nissa looked sweet. I started to fantasise that perhaps it was not the vacuum hose on my car and that it was beyond repair and I could pick one of these classics.

The cost of the repair will be around $250.00, which is a lot less than withdrawing the cash from my car fund and buying another. The longer I keep my zx2 running, the more I add to my car fund.
This is about the only 66 Mustang convertible I will ever get to drive again, and the receptionist let me know, "That one is not for sale either."

Since I had some time to burn this afternoon, I went to the movies to do some research. I watched "Paul Blart, Mall Cop." Since this movie has something to do with my career field, I will expense the popcorn and soda along with the cost of my ticket.

Vacation-Post Script

It's been a week since my train wreck on Snow Ridge in upstate New York and I have been finding "new" injuries each morning.

After the fall, I took inventory on all the old injuries I have suffered. I took note of old stuff because when I stopped suddenly after doing the face/shoulder plant, my feet were pointed in a different direction than my head.

My neck, shoulders, back, ribs, and knees seemed to be OK. I have dislocated, broken, cracked, strained each of the fore mentioned body parts in the past, some several times but they all seemed fine.

I was not until I tried to move my thumbs, and left ankle did I discover all was not right. So having too much fun, I put aside going to see a health care professional until at least my return from vacation if I even need to go. How bad can it be right?

By Tuesday morning the swelling in my right thumb had not gone down, but the left ankle felt fine. So to satisfy Stacy I was OK, I went to Ft. Campbell to get an X-Ray.

X-Ray was negative, the doctor on duty said I did a great job of resetting my thumb since it was obvious that I had totally dislocated it. He put me in a sling and something that looked like a white gauze bulb on my thumb and told me to eat Motrin and not move it for six weeks.

Once Stacy saw the ridiculous thing on my thumb it was off to Wally World to set a real splint.

I have to stay in this thing for six weeks.

Wednesday, I drove to Chattanooga and back on business. That was fun.

Thursday, I worked from home when I notice a huge bruise under my left toe nail that was not there before, and my ankle starts to bother me again.

Friday, my ankle is more tender and the swelling in my hand has gone down some, the thumb is still big and just as painful.

This morning, my ankle turned blue. I guess this is sign of old age and having fun.

Again, I would do nothing different this past weekend.

My administrative assistant, Marsha pointed out that I have now experienced two Olympic venues. Lake Placid and the kayak run on the Ocoee River. I told her that I did the river run in a boat not a kayak.

She must have seen the million candle powered light bulb go off in my head. Because I started smiling and planning, and she said, "Oh, no your not!"

Next summer, kayaking the upper and lower Ocoee. Yea baby!

Stacy has been watching too much National Geographic Television.

She says my thumb splint looks like something the bushmen of Africa would wear.

Vacation Epilog

Monday morning was a relaxed day compared to the last three, had some down time in the morning.

After breakfast and deciding on what direction we should take, we decided that a matinee would be great. So we headed back to Watertown and the local mall.

We both got the number 3 combo of a medium popcorn and a medium drink. Someone in Clarksville take notice that the medium there is what you here pass off as a large. We saw "The Rush", we both agreed this could have been a better movie. But it did have a huge body count and enough weirdness to make it worth it.

After the movie it was on to the airport, but we were just a bit hungry. David recommended a place a few miles from the airport. Out front of the restaurant is a statue of a turkey riding a horse (I am not making this up). It's a buffet that specialized in what appears to be Thanksgiving dinner. We got in a little after 4:00pm when the prices go to the dinner rate, but we got a deal and were charged the lunch price.

After 'lundinner', that's like brunch only later. It was on to catch my flight, I said good bye to David and went to check in.

During the time after check in, before boarding, I reflected on the last four days. It was all good, being able to relax with a true friend, talk and just hang out was good for me.

I will do this again, perhaps during the spring or fall.

I will be back, but next time I hope we do not act like kids.

NOT!!

Thank you David.

Vacation Day Three

David and I started the day by leaving Alexandria Bay at 6:30am for the 3 hour ride to Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain Ski Area. On the way we stopped at Saranac Lake where we saw ice castles, a sailing ship and a pyramid made out of ice blocks. One on the many ice sculptures at Saranac Lake.

David and I "walking" on the "water" at Saranac Lake.
Welcome to Lake Placid New York. This is Whiteface Mountain just passed Lake Placid. This is the actual place where the 1980 Olympic skiing events took place. This place is huge and makes yesterdays skiing look like Gatlinburg, which made Gatlinburg look like a patch of ice. It was also more crowded, colder and windy than yesterday.

Snow making machines were working all day making fresh powder.
After several runs, I went back to the lodge to take a break.

There was an upper deck at the lodge and the view or the resort made it a great place to people watch.

David coming up from skiing and ready to take a break for lunch.

I got the $7.50 chili and a coke. I should have had the $12.50 hamburger and fries like David did.

After lunch we were back out again. The snow was not groomed ice as yesterdays slopes. During the first run of the day, I found my left ankle was in worse shape than I had estimated. When I had a hard time getting my boot on should have been a hint. When I could not get my swollen hand into my glove should have been a hint. I don't do hints well.

I could turn to the left, but not the right, so I would pick up speed going left, then try to cut to the right and not be able to. I could not slow down by changing direction or by making the "V" with my skis. So going left was good, going right I had to stop by "laying it down." Since my left ankle was bad and my right thumb also bad, I had a hard time getting back up.

I needed one of those heath alert things that old people have. Push the button and just say, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up."

After three runs and laying it down several times per run, I took a break.

So I adapted and sat by the fire and drank hot coffee and watched people interact with each other. To me this is like a good movie, you kind of know what the plot is about, but lots of twists and turns.

The upper deck at the lodge from the lower deck.

The view from the lower deck up Whiteface.
The view from the upper deck up one of the runs. While I was people watching David was climbing this monster mountain. He make it to the top and back down two times. He's the man.

What was left of my right hand, made it hard to grip the ski pole.

After skiing we went back to Lake Placid for dinner. This is the view from the Crown Plaza Hotel drive. The hotel sits above the city and we walked town to the city for dinner. We explored the village and went back to the hotel to meet Jason and David (the other David) to watch the Daytona 500.

David and I decided that on the way back up we would take short cut up this hill rather than following the road back. Yea, it turned out as bad as you would think.

David came up the last part on his hands and knees and I crawled up the side using the small bushes as handholds. But with only had one hand made it difficult.

This is part of the Olympic Village, this is where the 400 meter speed skating was held, it's now a huge place for the people of Lake Placid to ice skate.
This is the arena in the Olympic Village where the USA beat the Russian in hockey.

Inside the arena where the "Miracle on Ice" took place on Feb 22, 1980. I was surprised that the arena was so small.

While in the village we stopped at a coffee house overlooking Lake Placid.

The view was awesome, dogsleds, ice and hockey playing kids and even parents walking with their children on the lake.
We met Jason, Kara, Gavin, Starla, Paula and the other David for dinner at the Northern Exposure restaurant. Most of the restaurants had an hour wait except this one. But took an hour to get our dinner after sitting down. Then took another 30 minutes for the waiter to finally close our tickets. but the food was good and it was nice to sit and watch Gavin. It made me miss Emma even more.

Jason, Gavin, David, the other David and I walked back up to the hotel after dinner. We decided not to take the "shortcut" we took earlier.

After good byes, David and I got back into his car and a little over three hours later we arrived back at Alexandria Bay just short of midnight.

Today, back in grown up mode. An afternoon movie, dinner then to the airport for the trip home.

And how was your weekend?

This is what happens when you think your taking a photo and because you fell so many times the camera settings changed to video.

Vacation Day Two

I was up with the dawn, which is normal for me and looked out my room's upstairs window to see the sun just as it came up.Start playing the Twilight Zone music, David and I dressed the same again without knowing what the other was wearing. Jeans, grey sweaters and brown shoes.

This is Tin Pan Alley in Sacketts Harbor NY. We had a great breakfast with David's extended family. The food was awesome and I am told the stuffed french toast is to die for. Since I don't like the French, I had a breakfast wrap with eggs, spinach, prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms. On the side I had home fries and coffee. The portions were huge and the quality were well worth the 45 minute wait to be seated.This just outside Tin Pan Alley, on West Main St. At the end of the street were people who had driven their ATVs out on to the ice that covers the harbor and were fishing.

On the way to Snow Peak ski resort we pasted what seemed to be miles and miles of wind generating windmills.
This is just part of Snow Peak, but this was the slope David and I stayed on all day, except for the bunny run where we warmed up.

This David swooshing down the mountain. There he goes, going, going, gone.

Headed up the ski lift looking back at the parking lot.

The bunny slope where we started.

More snow skiing stuff, this place makes Gatlinburg look like my driveway after a little dusting.

The bottom of the run that comes out of the trees. On the way up for our last run, I yelled up to David, "HEY! LETS FINISH BY GOING THROUGH THE TREES!"

I was joking, half way down I looked back and David was gone. I continued to the bottom and waited. I thought were in the heck was David.

Then through the trees I saw what looked like mad man coming down the hill all ankles and elbows trying to keep his balance, he did and came shooting into the clearing. It was David, he took the tree run!

He says it was very narrow and was doing Ok until he saw the log across the slope. He said he hit hard and lost a ski.

I was laughing so hard, I choked on the cold air.

Following David up the lift to the area we stayed most of the day. For the size of this resort I was surprised it did not have more people skiing. We never waited in line once. When we finished a run, it was right back to the head of the line and back down again. We did this for four hours straight.

I won't say I did not crash, I did. 5 times that I remember. Two times were at a slow rate of speed and did not hurt, two were at moderate speed and slightly hurt (more pain in the morning).

One time was like a train wreck, lost a ski pole and a ski, hurt like, well, yea, that bad. Shoulder, knee, and two thumbs (lots more pain in the morning.)

Imagine that "agony of defeat" dude at beginning of the Wild World of Sports.

Can you spell, M-O-T-R-I-N?

Tomorrow it's on to the Lake Placid Olympic Area and Whiteface Mountain.

On the way back to Watertown for dinner, we stopped to gas in Lowville, no I'm not making that up. It was weird to see snowmobiles at the gas pumps, but I guess it's normal up here.

What a snowmobile momma looks like.

David and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, we both ordered the ultimate nachos.

(Key that Zone music again.)

The similarities between us are scary.

This blog was a little challenging this evening, you never appreiate your right thumb until you "hit" the space key too hard.

Vacation Day One

Because I knew I was going to be away on Valentines Day, I ordered and had a live baby yellow roses bush sent to Stacy at work.

So this morning after kissing her good bye and wanting to get to the Nashville Airport in enough time to get through security because I know whats coming and I was hungry and wanted to eat.

As I always am when I travel by air, I'm the guy who always gets asked to submit to a more "intense" security screen.

I must look like a bad guy, or maybe I'm on a list someplace that says I have to be pulled to the side, submit to a body cavity check before I can go any farther. So after clearing security, I was hungry and was surprised at the changes in the airport food court.I decided on a fat free, no calorie, bacon, egg and cheese biscuit combo with hash browns and a drink.

We lifted off on time and were en route to Reagan in D.C. This was a small jet plane, I was in seat 9A and there were only 9 rows behind me.

The attitudes of the employees inside the beltway has not changed since the mid 90's when I was stationed at the Pentagon. Still the same lack of customer service I remembered, oh the memories.

After getting on the bigger jet at Reagan, it was off to New York.

The Frozen Northern Tundra, aka, Syracuse New York.

After meeting David at the airport it was off for the hour ride to Ft. Drum where we got some of the best chili dogs I have had in a long time.

Ft. Drum is home to the 10th Mountain Division and conducts the best mountain training in the world. This is the statue dedicated to the 10th Mountain.
This is the street David lives on in Alexandria Bay. After settling in for a few minutes, I was ready to tour this summer resort town.
What looks like a castle in the background is just that, one of the many buildings and homes built on the islands on the St. Lawrence River. What looks like a pasture between me and the castle is actually the frozen St. Lawrence river.
This is the entrance to the 1000 Island Bridge that crosses the St. Lawrence River. After crossing the bridge, David showed me the golf club he plays and a "quaint" (his word not mine) village that looks like something out of the 1800's.

A lighthouse on one of the islands.

The 1000 Island Bridge from the other side of the river. I was nice tour of David's other world.

After my tour it was back to David's home away from home where we each ate six tacos with a side of refried beans. I'm going to ski ahead or beside David, not behind him tomorrow.

I did not get hurt today. But tomorrow holds many opportunities to be injured. We are meeting Jason and Kara for breakfast then off to the ski slopes!

I was impressed with Ft. Drum's MWR set up. I was able to rent skis, boots, poles and got lift tickets for both Snow Ridge on Saturday and Whiteface Mountain on Sunday for a total of $65.00!

When David picked me up at the airport, I could not but notice that we could be twins. We both wore blue jeans, brown shoes and the same exact sweater.

The "boys" touring Alexandria Bay, enjoying a good cigar.

And how was your day?