Day 207 - 12.3.10 - Houston, Texas (Day 3)

This place has top of the line communications technology... Time to come home...

Day 206 - 12.2.10 - Houston, Texas (Day 2)

Stuck at the Houston Airport Marriott without a rental car... The indoor / outdoor pool qualifies as supreme entertainment...

Day 205 - 12.1.10 - Houston, Texas (Day 1)

Work has taken me to Houston, Texas... The airport Marriott in Houston, Texas... This carpet is here to greet me...

Day 198 - 11.24.10 - Lovely LaSalle County

Already planning for a half day in anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday, I was informed late in the day Tuesday that a Wednesday morning court appearance in LaSalle County would be mine. With travel time and the hearing itself, this was my work day in one simple task. It was a nice drive west along I-80 to Ottawa, Illinois, a quaint little town that appeared to be quietly waiting for Thanksgiving. An agreed order was entered before the Court's call, I snapped a photo, and made my way to Park Ridge to relax. Long weekend, commence...

Day 178 - 10.13.10 - Somewhere in Middle America

Ahh, the majestic view from the conference room at the Holiday Inn Express in Fremont, Nebraska, just outside of Omaha. It was a stunning fall day.... Mighty fine havin' land...

Day 177 - 10.12.10 - Up in the Air

On Tuesday, I traveled on the afternoon flight to Omaha, Nebraska, to take a deposition occurring on Wednesday morning. The flight was quick and easy, about one and a quarter hours, take off to landing. I spent the flight preparing for the deposition and staring out the window...

Day 173 - 10.8.10 - Flip. Flip. Flipadelphia.

Today, I flew in and out of Philadelphia, PA, to participate in a deposition for work. While I didn't have much time to see the sights, I was fortunate to have time to meet my friend Adam for lunch at the Reading Terminal Market, a massive bazaar of places to eat and purchase fresh produce and meat. I've never seen anything like it before. It was quite possibly the world's best food court. No Sabarro or Boardwalk Fries to be found here...

Adam took me to Tommy DiNic's where we attacked Italian pulled pork sandwiches with sharp provolone, hot peppers, spinach and broccoli rabe. A Philly classic. It was a fine lunch, and one of the best sandwiches I've ever tasted. Next time, I hope to stay longer and get the Philly Cheese Steak experience. For a one day trip, however, this was just fine...

Day 158 - 9.23.10 - Pizza in a St. Louis Dive

A work related one day trip to St. Louis brought me (along with my gracious hosts, The Guymons) back to one of my favorite STL spots, a true dive with excellent pizza pies, the Black Thorn Pub. A hole in the wall if there ever was one, this gem is tucked away in a residential area of the Tower Grove neighborhood. The beer is cold, the pizza a hot (and spicy), shuffleboard is a must, and people affix dollar bills to the ceiling with thumb tacks (by folding quarters into the dollar and tossing the expensive customer crafted decor at said ceiling). You can't find a place like this anywhere else on Earth.

Day 152 - 9.17.10 - Helmet Second Use

On Friday, Lauren and I traveled north to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Saturday, along with some friends, we will embark on the Fat Tire Memorial Bike Tour around the entirety of beautiful Lake Geneva. The ride, which raises college scholarship money for local students, is punctuated by several stops at the finer drinking establishments in the Lake Geneva area. Hence the conversion of my hockey helmet into a make shift bike helmet... Safety first.

Day 110 - 8.6.10 - A Smirk From Madison

After an incredibly smooth and ahead of schedule flight from Chicago to DC, and a drive filled with beach going vacation traffic, we finally washed ashore in North Bethany Beach, Delaware. As the unpacking commenced, the little ladies threw on a DVD to keep them occupied while the adults did the heavy lifting. Jillian (background) was more entertained with the discs themselves, while Madison was completely dazzled by the action on the computer. As I tried to earn her attention and coax a smile, she gave me this smirk. It was all she was willing to offer. Fischer Price Little People Happy Birthday DVD: 1 - Uncle D: 0.

Day Seventy-Seven - 7.5.10 - Leaving The Dock

Today marked the end of another enjoyable weekend at Burt Lake. Traffic caused the 6 hour trip home to take 9 hours, but knowing we just had a great time with great friends made the delays a little less annoying and a little more manageable...

Day Seventy-Five - 7.3.10 - Lake Michigan

Near Harbor Springs, Michigan. Lake Michigan beach...

Day Seventy-Four - 7.2.10 - UpNorth

Six hours NNE of Chicago, Illinois, sits Burt Lake, Michigan. A small lake nestled "Up North" in the Northern Michigan woods, The waters of Burt Lake are calm, cold, and pristine. It is a beautiful place, and for the last four years Lauren and I have been lucky enough to join the Winfields and the Lorengers to eat, drink, golf, eat, drink, shoot off fireworks and otherwise celebrate the birth of our nation. This year, we were all joined by Brutus and Lily, the canines pictured above.

Day Seventy - 6.28.10 - Too Knackered To Unpack

I've returned to Chicago, went straight from Midway to work, and now my bags are home, but not unpacked. For me, there is nothing worse than unpacking, and I'll put it off as long as possible...

Day Sixty-Six - 6.24.10 - Elmira, New York

Day One of the Tournament - Qualifying - Kicking off the weekend, all 2 man teams played a best ball qualifying round. It was an educational go, my first trip around all 18 holes of this lush, woodsy, undulating, elevation changing course. Tee shots are challenging, but not unfair, and the par threes are all reasonable. It is the greens, the smallish and lightning quick greens, where strokes build up and build up quickly. The rolling Appalachian mountains that surround the course played tricks on this flat-lander's mind while reading putts. Putts that look uphill, are actually of a devious downhill variety. Putts that look downhill can stop short if directed up toward the mountains. Subtle breaks lie in wait and carry short puts away from the center of the cup... We fired a 78 as a team, good enough to place us in the second flight for the remainder of the weekend. Match play starts tomorrow at 9 AM...

Following the round, Uncle Mike drove me around the various Elmira neighborhoods including the houses he and my father lived in growing up, along with Grandpa Thom, Grandma Marg, Uncle David, and Aunt Annie Pie. Elmira is the epitome of a working class town, with a rich history dating back to the Revolutionary War. Like many old blue collar towns, Elmira has seen better days... As we made our way through Elmira's east side, we passed an old steel foundry, now boarded up, that pre-dates the Civil War.

Day Sixty-Five - 6.23.10 - Delays

On Wednesday, I began my trip to Elmira, New York to play in the Elmira Country Club Annual Invitational Tournament with my Uncle Mike. Due to inclement weather in Chicago and Detroit (where I was making my connection to Elmira), my first flight was delayed five hours. The flight was supposed to leave at 7 am, and we actually boarded on time, got to the runway, where we sat and sat, for an hour, waiting for clearance from Detroit to take off and secure a flight pattern. While we waited, storm clouds drew nearer and nearer... before clearance was secured, the storms hit Midway causing a ground stop. Taxi, jetway, deplane, terminal, gate, more waiting... As I sat in the gate, I heard all sorts of disgruntled travelers take their frustrations out on the hapless Delta employees. While I empathsized with the travelers, I felt sympathy for the workers. Despite the wishes of JoDean Willoughby from South Detroit, who was "just so pissed, my word," the Midway Airport Delta Airlines workers do not control the weather.

I commandeered an electrical outlet, powered my MacBook, and was able to watch, in its entirety, the thrilling World Cup Match between Algeria and the USA. I let out a yelp as Landon Dononvan's extra time goal found the back of the net, drawing crotchety looks from the elderly travelers also waiting on their delayed flights, and prompting assuring nods from other sports fans in the terminal who clearly also new what had just happened.

Eventually, I made it to Detroit at about 2 p.m. local time where I had a guaranteed seat on a 9:30 flight to Elmira. I got to the gate, and attempted my best to charm a Delta representative to the top of the standby list for a 3:20 flight. Electrical outlet, MacBook, ESPN3, Germany vs. Ghana... halftime... 3:20 flight boarding... passenger Grady to the Gate 22 kiosk... "Sir, we have a seat for you on this flight. It is in the emergency exit row, I sure hope that is OK with you." Indeed it was...

Straight from the airport to the first tee to meet Uncle Mike... We managed to play nine holes before hunger took over and the sunlight escaped the skies. I saw nine of the most difficult greens I have ever played in my 20 years fiddling with this ever frustrating and rewarding sport. It is going to be a challenging weekend...

Day Five - Das Boot, Das BBQ Campfire

A rehearsal dinner was held last night. It lasted until the early morning hours. Many a cowboy boot traversed the rehearsal dinner grounds and rested by the campfire. In the fire pit, locally grown Mesquite was being burned. It smelled of barbecue. Campfires always smell great, naturally. This one, however, evoked the sensory responses I normally experience only when face to face with a plate of pork. It was a pretty solid campfire.

Day Four - More Cacti For Your Eye

More Arizona. More golf. This time at a course more mountainous and more lush than the last. The flora here supplies endless opportunities for quality photographs. In the Sonoran sun, these native plants thrive and show off for all passersby. This one boasts an impressive array of spines and flowers. A beautiful display today by Mom Nature.

Day Three - Oh, That's Arizona

In Arizona for the remainder of this week for the nuptials of a close friend. Many of our friends from college are already here in AZ, stretching out the weekend into a mini-vacation of sorts. Played golf today. Played well, and enjoyed it immensely... not only for the game, but for the unreal scenery in the Sonoran Foothills north of Phoenix. This place is like a different world, and could not contrast more with environment at home in Chicago. Snapped photos of a multitude of cacti... all different shapes, sizes, and colors... some with flowers, some without... and even some with prickly pears. This particular cactus caught my eye. It is starting a new arm, as I was told. Apparently some cacti grow only an inch or two each year. I wish this cactus good luck with his new project...