Raleigh Trip - Day 4

With the Technology Refreshment at Raleigh Durham Airport in the rearview, like almost returned to "normal" Nomad Life.  However, I was still supposed to stay in town to make sure that the site was satisfied with our work yesterday.  With that in mind, I got up (with my alarm) at 0630 and started teleworking.  During the morning, I only took one break, at 0800, for breakfast in the Lobby of the Staybridge Suites (Morrisville).  After that, I stayed online until 1300, when Stacy (colleague from the Installation Team) dropped off some pizza that she'd brought from Tony Baloney's in Atlantic City.  I enjoyed it as a delicious lunch - what a treat!  Meanwhile, outside, it was in the low 80s and very sunny - once again, I was tempted throughout the day to depart for some non-work adventures.  At 1515, I knocked off for the day and drove a short distance to hike on the Shiloh Greenway.  This trail, which I'd noticed on Google Maps, was a 1.7 mile trail in a neighborhood to the southwest of the airport (and my hotel).  Once I found a convenient trailhead (1530), I started walking and, eventually, completed the full trail (birding along the way).  At the end of my time in the outdoors, I also walked around in the sports fields - there was a cool Cricket Pitch nearby (it appeared that lots of folks with Indian heritage lived nearby).  During the whole time, the weather was hot (80s) and it was very sunny.  The silence was often broken by aircraft flying low overhead (departure pattern for RDU).  When I finished my walk at 1700, my pedometer said that I'd reached four miles (and my step goal for the day).  Hoping to enjoy some more of the local Craft Brew scene, I drove a short distance to a place called Hoppy House Taproom.  Inside, I found a wall of beer, wall of wine and a wall of cocktails.  Wow!  I started sampling at 1720 and soon filled up the "Untapped" board with my own entries (and cleared everyone else off).  Along the way, I got a free beer (the staff had just installed a new keg) - Nomad Life is good!  While I was trying the different drinks, I did a lot of texting and messaging with my friends.  The venue was very pleasant and I enjoyed everything I sampled. More surprising, though: I got away (tip included) for less than $11!  At 1825, I drove back to my hotel (via the Interstate) and was back in my room by 1840.  Even though I'd already completed my hours for the day, I did a bit more admin stuff for my job before transitioning to personal business.  For the next few hours, I worked on my blog, ordered gifts for friends and coordinated my upcoming travel schedule.  At 2115, I grudgingly changed into workout gear again and went to the Fitness Center to ride the spinning machine (bike) again.  This time, I wasn't trying to add to my step count, only work on my Prouty Cycling goals.  As a result, I logged four miles in 20 minutes and immediately returned to my room.  For the re3st of the evening, I watched a new episode of a streaming service series and then switched to old familiar movies.  When I finally went to bed (2315), I felt pretty good about how I'd spent my week day.  I'll depart Raleigh tomorrow but it's been a good visit!

Raleigh Trip - Day 3

Day two of the Installation Project - where the "rubber meets the road" - in Raleigh!  In anticipation of an early start, I was up at 0600 (with alarm again) and immediately got ready to depart (I wore my "Prouty" jersey).  At 0700, I went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Staybridge Suites (Morrisville).  Nearby, there was a friendly little boy (he kept waving and wanting to give hugs) and his patient mom.  Meal completed, I departed for the Raleigh Durham Airport at 0715.  After joining the rest of our Installation Team (0730), I worked with everyone to swap out old (2010 timeframe) equipment in the Tower and Approach Control.  It was warm inside the building because the temps outside were in the 80s and the sunny was beating down on Raleigh.  Along the way, we skipped lunch (I ate snacks) and we employed some good teamwork.  Even though there was a truck breakdown SNAFU, it didn't hurt us.  One of the highlights of the day was when we went to a section in the Tower Column with a gantry area - from there, the view was spectacular.  Throughout the building itself, there was training going on everywhere.  Our "hands on" work was completely finished by 1415 and we'd even wrapped up all the paperwork by 1530.  The Contractor Lead (Stacy) agreed with me that a job well deserved a celebration.  By general consensus, the entire team drove (in separate cars) to a nearby Firebirds Wood Fired Grill (arrived at 1600).  Once we were seated, I convinced the staff to give us the happy hour specials away from the bar area ($6 wine glasses).  Only about half of the team (including me) took advantage of this offer, though.  When it came time to order, I requested the three course combo for my dinner: Caesar Salad, Grilled Chicken on mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and strawberry bread pudding ala mode.  The Team members were in good spirits and the excellent food made things even better.  Since our project is taking a break (for software patches) until June, everyone was very glad to be finished in Raleigh so they could return home for family time.  Our fun time of camaraderie was finished at 1730) and, after saying goodbye to everyone else, I returned to my hotel (arrived at 1745).  In my room again, I did some more telework until 1900 (I skipped the hotel's "Social Hour").  I probably should have headed immediately to the Fitness Center but then I got distracted by some planning for my upcoming trip to Europe.  So it was very late (2115), before I got around to my daily workout.  In the end, I completed a 1 mile walk on the treadmill (20 minutes) and and then got four miles of cycling done (20 minutes).  By 2200, I'd returned to my room.  Instead of turning on a movie or getting distracted with something else, I did some reading and finished up some notes until I was ready for bed (2245).  Feeling very good about a job well done!

Raleigh Trip - Day 2

Here we go!  I woke up at 0630 (alarm needed) and started teleworking.  At 0745, I went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Staybridge Suites (Morrisville).  With my meal completed, I headed back to my room so I could get ready for my day with the Installation Team.  Meanwhile, the weather outside was sunny and clear, with temps in the 50s.  To me, this was warm and I decided to wear my new company polo shirt.  At 0830, I departed from my hotel and drove from the southeast end of the Raleigh-Durham Airport, through the Terminal area and was able to access the gate near the base of the Control Tower.  Once inside, I met up with the rest of the Team (0845) and we started work officially at 0900.  Even though this was my fifth such trip of 2026 and a lot of the work was starting to seem routine, there were several different people on the Contractor Team.  As usual, too, I needed to liaise with the on-site staff and keep the work moving.  Due to the professionals involved, we started testing earlier than usual and had finished everything for the day by 1300.  I definitely informed everyone that they were like some sort of "A Team".  On my way back to my hotel, though, I found that I had to navigate a maze of confusing roads just to get out of the airport complex.  And, just when I thought the worst was over, I found even more things to "almost mess up" when I got closer to my hotel.  Figuring that some of the problem was due to skipping lunch earlier, I stopped for some food at a nearby Jersey Mike's (ordered at 1340).  The sub sandwich (buffalo chicken, made "Mike's Way") was very good and I enjoyed it inside the restaurant.  When I got back in my car to return to my hotel (1420), I was greatly tempted by the wonderful weather (sunny and temps in the high 70s).  Staying on task, though, I spent the afternoon teleworking and only wrapped up my day at 1700.  This long delay in closing out my work day was mostly due to a follow up call with Brenna and a big phone call related to the Nashville Thanksgiving Plans (I wanted to sign the Contract).  Even after I stopped working for pay, I spent time on my own computer, catching up on eBird and my blog.  At 1815, I went to dinner ("Taco Tuesday") at the Social Hour in my hotel; I tried another R&D Brewery beer (Storm Brew) before I was done eating.  Back in my room again (1900) I did some more work on my blog before changing into my workout gear.  For over an hour, I logged two miles on treadmill (36 minutes) and four miles on the spinning machine "bike" (20 minutes) - I was done in the Fitness Center at 2215.  In my room again, I watched movies until going to bed at 2330.  It was a good day at "the office"!

Raleigh Trip - Day 1

The whole reason for my drive from Hampton Roads to Raleigh yesterday was to resume my Technology Refreshment oversight role at the local airport.  By arriving early, though, I had taken the pressure off of myself to hurry to the hotel.  Even with this reprieve, I was still awake by 0645 (I'd set an alarm) and started teleworking.  It was quiet around Alan and Tammie's home because they are self employed.  For most of the early part of the morning, I prepped for the Install work at Raleigh Airport and started a small load of laundry (to try to erase evidence of the cigar smoke from the night before).  At about 1000, Alan made me breakfast and I said goodbye to Tammie (she had errands to run).  After that, I returned to my computer for meetings that finally ended at 1135.  By that point, Uncle Terry was awake and I had a chance for some one-on-one time with him while Alan was working in his office.  My laundry also finished and Brenna called to ask about my visit with her sisters.  We talked for a bit but I asked if we could reschedule to a time when I wasn't working.  She agreed but then asked me about some ideas for outdoor adventure near her home (she had her Spring Break going on).  I helped her a bit and then turned off my computer.  The morning work I'd done was enough to ensure I'd reach my full hours for the day (because I had 3.5 hours of "credit" dedicated to the transit).  At lunch time (1210), with the weather looking sunny and calm (and with temps in the 70s), I went on a walk with Alan.  While wandering through small groves of dogwood trees and wisteria vines, we completed a circuit of nine holes of the The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation.  There were plenty of interesting birds in the area and I happily recorded them for later entry on the eBird website.  Alan told me a lot of news about himself and his family from the 1970s and 1980s - things, I'd never heard before.  By the end of our walk (1330), we'd logged about four miles.  I told Alan he was like the brother I'd never had...  He must have shared this sentiment because we ended up returning to the patio for more conversation.  Alan later let me have some of his leftover pizza and bruschetta (both good); I washed it down with some sparkling water and chocolate milk.  Tammie returned at about 1630 and was surprised to still find me there!  Before departing, I spent some more visiting with Uncle Terry and he asked that I keep him updated on my Nomad Life (of course I agreed).  At 1700, I finally left Tammie and Alan's home and used some backroads (towards the north) until I reached I-540.  There was definitely some rush hour traffic by then so I couldn't hurry - fortunately, I was only about 30 minutes from hotel.  Along the way, I ended up in Durham County (temporarily).  Eventually, I reached I-40 and turned east again.  At that point, I encountered a major traffic jam but was able to carefully exit the Interstate by skirting the worst of it in a breakdown lane (last 100 yards).  I found my hotel, the Staybridge Suites (it was actually located in the town of Morrisville), at 1730.  Even at that point, the temps were still in the 70s.  As usual at an IHG property, I was able to check in quickly and resume the last little bit of teleworking that remained.  Fortunately, I was able to finish up before the hotel's social hour was finished (1900).  Though I wasn't very hungry, I stopped by for some pasta, some salad and a big cookie.  Even better, the hostess also gave me one of the local beers (from nearby R&D Brewery) they had on tap.  At around this time, members of our Installation Team started checking in with me, reporting they had arrived in the area.  After that, I returned to my room to take care of some personal items (finance, travel planning).  There was even time for me to check out the Business Center - rather than set up my own printer, I was able to all my (two-sided!) printing there.  During this window, I thought about exercising at the Fitness Center but ended up lounging in my room instead.  For the rest of the evening, I watched movies; bed time was at 2300.  Very excited to get started on another week of Tech Refresh in the morning!

Nomad Life - Day 196

When I woke up this morning (at 0600), I felt sad to be departing from Virginia Beach - I'll miss Erin, Austin and Kiki!  But it's time to go back to work "at the airport"... I spent part of the morning (before anyone else was awake) packing, reading, doing puzzles and completing Duolingo exercises.  I eventually met up with Erin and Austin (0830) and they talked to me while I loaded up my car.  Before putting my computer away, I took care of a few blog and financial items while eating "breakfast" (leftover pizza).  At 0930, I said goodbye to my daughter and her little family and headed out of town.  By then, the temperature was 47 F - fortunately, it was sunny and clear.  I got on I-264 and headed towards the west until I could get on I-64.  Things looked good, traffic wise, until I reached the Elizabeth River.  Sadly, the clear sailing ended in a massive traffic jam.  By that point, though, I'd decided to make a birding stop in Portsmouth City County so managed to get off the Interstate after a bit of inconvenience and make forward progress while driving north on US-17.  When I reached Victory Boulevard, I noticed that there were lots of speed and red-light cameras in the vicinity and got a bit nervous about everything I was doing.  Fortunately, I believe I reached the Paradise Creek Nature Park without any trouble.  Beginning at 1015, I took a walk along some nice gravel trails through the woods.  Across the Paradise Creek estuary, I could see infrastructure related to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.  The weather had turned very pleasant (i.e., warmer) and I explored a lot of the trail system while using my Merlin App to find more interesting birds.  Along the way, I crossed a wooden bridge (closed "for maintenance") and got to watch two kayakers passing underneath at that exact moment.  Reluctantly, I returned to my car so I could resume my drive to Raleigh - I departed at 1030 and used Victory Boulevard to reach I-264 to reach I-664 and, later, US-13.  This latter road headed towards the southwest and took me close to the Great Dismal Swamp, a place our family used to enjoy visiting back when we lived in Hampton Roads.  Before long (1115), I crossed into North Carolina (Gates County).  From this point, I started recording all county line crossings to make sure I had a record of bird sightings through the state.  As I passed by Elizabeth City, I found myself on a lovely four lane highway, nearly free of traffic!  My route continued on US-13 through Hertford County (1130) until I reached Shortcut Road (AKA NC-11).  By then, the temperature had risen to 55 F.  I pass through Bertie County (1145) and Martin County (1200) before reaching NC-111, which I used to enter Edgecombe County (1215).  Later, I used Shiloh Farm Road to access US-64 and headed west.  I passed through Nash County (1240), locating a "Nashville" on the way.  The temps rose to 63 F before I passed I-95 (1245) and I soon found myself in Franklin County (1300) and Wake County (1305).  After almost an hour, I got off the four lane and took NC-96 and NC-98 into the eastern suburbs of Raleigh.  My destination was the home of my cousin, Tammie, and her husband (Alan) - I arrived there at 1340.  Alan came out to greet me eagerly. with is very surprising since we've never really had a lot of time to visit over the years.  I think he might have been representing the pleasure of his wife (my mom's niece) and father-in-law (my Uncle Terry) but it certainly seemed genuine.  When I went inside their beautiful home, I almost immediately fell into a comfortable rhythm with my extended family.  Uncle Terry (age 91) impressed me by his memory (including being with my mom when she passed away almost 40 years ago) and vibrant personality.  It was wonderful to be around relatives who knew my mother well when she was young.  We spent almost two hours catching up on more than two decades of family stories!  There was some wine and warm intimacy that really made me feel welcome.  As the afternoon wore one, food came into people's minds and we ended up adjourning our reunion for a short drive to a nearby eatery called the Wakefield Grill.  This was, apparently, one of Uncle Terry's favorite places to eat when he was visiting Alan and Tammie.  I should note that he splits time between them and the home of Denise (my cousin) and her husband (Doug).  The food was very good and I had a local beer while we continued our story-time exchange.  Once we finished our meal (1845), we headed back to Tammie and Alan's house.  By then, a cool evening had descended on the area.  I had planned to take a walk but that never materialized because Alan and his neighbors kept me quite entertained with questions and local news.  After it became clear I wasn't going anywhere (2000), I joined everyone on the enclosed porch for whiskey and cigars.  It has been a long time (probably since I retired from the Navy) since I had a good stogie and Alan had several from which to choose.  Wow!  We talked until 2245 and it might have gone one much longer if I didn't have to work in the morning.  When I went to the guest room, a marvelous venue with a huge bed (covered with probably 20 different shapes and sizes of pillows), it took a while to calm down from the "high" I had reached during the discussions.  I spent time reading and organizing for the following day - I ended up staying awake until nearly 2330.  What an amazing day of visiting!

Nomad Life - Day 195

After a restful sleep overnight, I was awake at 0715 and spent some time reading, doing puzzles and completing Duolingo exercises.  A bit later, I moved out to the living room to work on my blog (there was a "desk" in there).  Erin got up at about 0845 and we visited for a little bit.  My "breakfast" consisted of some more Jelly Belly candies but that was OK.  My more immediate worry was that I realized I'd forgotten about meatless Friday the previous day!  This rarely happens but, when it has, I've "restarted the clock" by abstaining for the subsequent day.  With my mindset adjusted, I checked with my daughter and son-in-law about their plans for the day.  After learning that they both had things to do (Erin had a baby shower and Austin had some important errands), I decided to find a place to hike nearby.  Remembering a conversation that I'd had with Mollie during the previous year, I decided to investigate the possibility of accessing False Cape State Park.  Saying goodbye to Erin and Austin, I headed south from their home (1100).  Outside, it was 48 F, sunny and windy.  On the way, I stopped at a nearby Walmart to pick up an online order (1120).  Next, I ate lunch at Taco Bell, located right across the street.  Fortunately, their ordering kiosk allowed for extreme tailoring of the menu items.  In the end, I managed to substitute beans for meat in all the things I ordered.  I thought about sitting in the restaurant for my meal but, instead, tried to eat in the car.  That ended up being too messy so I held off from my lunch as I continued driving south.  There was a lot of traffic and construction on the way to the Sandbridge area... It's been years since I last visited but memories from the early 1990s (when I had friends nearby) came immediately back into my head.  By 1210, I reached my goal: the parking lot for Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  It was much windier here and lots of people were wearing heavy winter coats and other gear.  For my part, I just wore two layers and started hiking at 1215.  There were a few signs about trail closures as I walked along the West Dike of the NWR but they didn't really make sense until I reached an actual gate.  Apparently, the trails are closed nearby until April 1 - I was just a few days too early to use them.  I'd only traveled about one mile at that point but I still wanted to get to the State Park.  Fortunately, an alternate route - following the shoreline of the beach - was recommended.  Hoping to avoid a lot of backtracks, I bushwhacked from the Dike trail fence across the sand dunes until I reached the beach.  From there, it was a windy walk to the south, with very little in the way of landmarks or border indications.  I met up with a a few folks with backpacks - they planned to spend the night in the State Park in a reserved campsite and I picked their brains on the process and experience.  It sounded nice!  They were not in a hurry (because they didn't have to get back to their cars until the following day).  My situation was different and, after saying goodbye to them, I motored away in search of indications of the entrance to False Cape State Park.  I finally found a sign - it was laying down on the edge of the dunes.  Otherwise, I saw nothing manmade as I hiked.  A few other interesting things I encountered strange "sand fog" that developed along the way and evidence of a huge fish kill (a ranger later told me that the beach had a horrible smell only days before but today was clear and odorless). There were plenty of seabirds; most were chasing the waves but others were soaring in the heavy breeze.  I should mention that I'd been walking with the wind at my back - I could already tell that heading north would be much more difficult...  At 1345, I reached a "state park type" sign for the Barbour Hill area.  My paper map indicated that this trail across the dunes would provide me with access to the Visitor for the State Park so I headed west along the sandy track.  Almost immediately, the wind was blocked by the higher terrain and the warm sun made me feel a lot hotter than I had all day.  There were lots of short, scrubby trees in the area and I soon found myself walking into the campground area.  I encountered several folks sitting near their tents in the shade.  Like the people at the NWR, they were geared up for winter weather.  Meanwhile, I was thinking about removing my jacket...  The number of birds increased and I enjoyed watching them playing on the branches of the tall trees.  I reached the False Cape State Park Visitor Center at 1400 and was pleased to find a large buoy that talked about how I was at the Southernmost Virginia State Park.  The markings also added that I was 1146 miles from Key West.  I looked around in the VC building and eventually encountered a park ranger - she was cheery and helpful and we had a good conversation.  By 1430, I reluctantly made my way back to the beach and started my shoreline walk towards my car.  The tide had started to come in again and there were places where my footprints had been erased by the surf.  It was a lot of work to fight the headwind but I plodded along steadily.  Like the earlier part of my hike, I encountered backpackers enroute to the State Park for the night (more chatting).  At 1540, I had reached the Dune Trail and exited the beach.  This trail led back to the East Dike of the NWR and had a pretty boardwalk with overlook.  When I finally reached my car again, I passed it to walk along the Kuralt Trail that took me to a beautiful estuary.  There were many more birds there and my Merlin App was very busy.  Finished with my outdoor time (nearly 10 miles!), I got in my car (1610) and drove back towards Erin's home.  The timing looked good for me to attend Mass and I decided to drive to St. Nicholas Catholic Church on Little Neck (our family's Parish between 2005 and 2008).  The 1700 Mass, which celebrated Palm Sunday, was a LONG service.  We started outside and walked, with our palms, into the sanctuary - it was a free-for-all for seating.  The music director was clearly invested in performance art - everything sounded beautiful,  However, the service was already the longest one of the year; the Priest's homily didn't help the situation either...  Once Mass was completed (1820), I returned to Erin's house and joined her and Austin in the process of ordering their dinner from Marco's Pizzeria.  Austin was very helpful in getting a meatless pizza ready that had olives, peppers and mushrooms.  It seemed like a very short time later when an actual pizza delivery car arrived with the food!  We sat at the dining room table for a little while but then adjourned to the couch so Erin could shower me with more episodes of "The Middle".  We stayed up together until 2130 and then said good night.  After that, I did some reading in the guest room and finally went to bed at 2300.  After a great hike today and some nice visiting with my daughter, I'm feeling pretty good!

Nomad Life - Day 194

I was awake before my alarm (0630) and worked until 0930, when Erin finally came out of her room.  At that point, I joined her in the living room and we talked for a little bit about my job.  She offered me some breakfast but didn't really have much to eat (she had Golden Grahams and other snacks).  I politely declined and, instead, I went back to work.  At 1115, I had to run to get something from my car and found the day to be warm and sunny, with only a light wind.  Just then, Erin and Austin went out to do some errands.  For my part, I took a break from my telework and started putting together my tax documentation - I made some good progress!  Along the way, I also brought in a lot of my printing and business gear, hoping to get caught up on things.  Sadly, I figured out that was out of ink again...  I attempted to order some ink from a Walmart, near where they were shopping, but they returned before the order was ready.  By then (1215), they were ready to get something for lunch.  We departed (in Austin's car) for Commonwealth Brewing.  With the traffic conditions, it ended up taking more than 30 minutes to get there.  Upon arrival, we ordered some pizzas, fries and a burger - we also tried some local brews.  Everything was great and we stayed at the restaurant until about 1345.  After returning home (via some errands along the way), I started a load of laundry and returned to teleworking.  Despite spending a significant part of the morning doing errands, Erin left the house again (to visit her friend) - meanwhile, Austin played video games while I worked.  At 1715, I turned off my computer and wrapped up my work week,  To celebrate, I played with Kiki.  Hoping to get back into a groove of outdoor time (coupled with attaining my step goals again).  So, at 1730, I started a walk in the "back" of Erin's neighborhood.  I thought I knew where I was going but then got caught by the difference between Thalia Drive and Thalia Road - d'oh!  Meanwhile, the day had turned gray, cooler and breezy.  Birding was good and I had to laugh at the many ducks in people's yard.  I thought I'd find Steinhilber's again but ended up closer to our old home in the Kingston area.  Meanwhile, Erin finally returned from her friend's house (1815) and texted about dinner plans at Chipotle.  At that point, I didn't really know when I'd get home so I sent in an "order" but kept walking.  At 1830, I finally returned to Erin's house and she (and Kiki) joined me on the remainder of my walk.  All told, I logged three miles!  Back in the house, we waited (and talked) until Austin returned from picking up the food.  Once he arrived and we saw the good spread, we all ate together.  Without thinking, I had ordered a steak burrito bowl, capping off a meatless Lenten Friday with two beef meals.  Dang...  At that point, though, I was oblivious.  Once the dinner was complete, Erin and I had fun making combinations of Jelly Belly "recipes".  These candies were the ones I'd gotten her for Valentine's Day.  A bit later, Erin and I adjourned to the living room (Austin went to play video games).  First, we watched two episodes of "The Middle" and then we watched "In Your Dreams" (an animated kids movie about the Sandman).  These shows were all good and it was nice to relax with Erin.  We wrapped up our entertainment at about 2200.  Even though it was late, I spent more time in the guest room watching streaming service episodes.  I finally went to bed at 2330.  Feeling good about finishing up my work week with some good exercise, outdoor time, socializing, food and time with my daughter!

Nomad Life - Day 193

After a few nice days with Mollie, Alex and Maple, it was time for me to head to the next destination of my Nomad Life: Virginia Beach!  For some reason, I was awake at 0500 and didn't try to go back to sleep.  Instead, I began teleworking immediately.  At 0700, I went out into the living room and met up with Mollie, who had been getting ready for work.  Fortunately, I got to spend time visiting with her and Maple.  Along the way, she made breakfast (eggs) for us - it was nice to enjoy another home-cooked meal made by my daughter!  The sad part, though, was that I had to say goodbye to Alex and Mollie (0745).  As usual, Maple went in her crate so I could keep working without distraction.  As had happened each day of my visit, I felt bad...  Still, I had some projects and meetings to complete; I worked from the apartment all the way to 1245.  Wrapping up my day (for the time being), I was able to take Maple for a well-deserved walk.  Temps were in the 60s and it was bright and sunny outside.  The dog enjoyed our time together and probably have been happy with a much longer walk.  Sadly, I had to get on the road so I could make it to Erin's house at the time I'd promised.  So, after returning from the outdoor exercise and putting Maple back in her crate, I packed up my car and departed Fredericksburg.  With about 100 miles left on my tank of gas and fuel prices ridiculously high (even worse than Pennsylvania) in the immediate area, I drove to Ashland (using I-95), where I got lunch at Chick-fil-A (1410) and got gas at a more reasonably priced station next door.   By 1425, I was ready to depart the area and texted Erin that it would take me about two hours to reach Virginia Beach.  After that, I made my way south on I-95.  The traffic was mostly good but there was plenty of construction and speed cameras.  This was true on I-295 but, especially, on I-64.  To pass the time, listened to audiobooks.  As I approached the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, Google Maps tacked on over 30 minutes to my drive time.  As I'd seen during previous visits, it also suggested the Monitor-Merrimack Bridge as an alternative to I-64.  Hoping to avoid a long detour and a lot of extra mileage, I stuck with the original route and managed to get all the way to Hampton before the traffic slowed down.  After that, I got off on Mercury Boulevard (US-258).  While there were lights, I immediately lost a lot of the delay.  I also got to pass by (didn't stop) the interesting static display near Langley Air Force Base.  At one point, though, I reached a traffic light that never seemed to change.  Annoyed at this delay, I took some back roads nearby and luckily reached an intersection (Segar and Mallory) where I was able to get through the intersection.  After a prohibited left turn (construction zone), I was able (along with several other cars) to merge on to I-64 again just before the bridge/tunnel.  I will admit that I was wondering by then whether I'd been tagged by any speed, red-light or other cameras... From that point, the drive across James River went slowly (as usual) - once I was on the Norfolk side, though, I made very good time to Virginia Beach (via I-64 and I-264).  In the end, I exited the Interstate nearly exactly two hours after I'd texted Erin!  After I arrived at her house (1635), we took a walk with Kiki in Erin's neighborhood.  It was nice to talk to her and meet some of her neighbors again.  We finished our brief outdoor interlude at 1700 and I then went into the guest room to do some more teleworking (to finish my work day).  With that phase of my day complete, I rejoined Erin in the living room and we talked for a while.  Austin got home just after 1800 and I got to visit with him too.  Meanwhile, Erin kept saying she was going to make dinner.  This didn't happen, though, for more than another hour.  By then, the lasagna she planned to make still required a significant amount of time to prepare.  With this knowledge, I decided to take another walk in Erin's neighborhood.  It was dark by then but I had no trouble getting steps (although I never reached my step goal).  By the time I returned to Erin's, I still had time unload my car.  With all the chores and time-killing task complete, I arrived in the kitchen just in time for some delicious dinner!  During the next hour, I also go to try one of Austin's "craft cider" drinks.  With our meal complete, Erin and I sat in the living room and talked some more, getting in one of our classic political discussions.  Fortunately, things were very civil and we easily transitioned to playing "fetch" with Kiki and watching a Seinfeld episode after that.  By 2145, though, I was feeling tired and went into the guest room to get ready for bed.  For some reason, though, I ended up getting distracted with some online news until much later than I planned - it was 2330 before I turned out the lights.  What a great day full of daughters and dogs!

Nomad Life - Day 192

This morning might have begun very early - I first woke up at 0530 but fell back to sleep until 0630.  After that, I spent the early hours teleworking, with a short break to see Alex and Mollie off to work.  My daughter put Maple in her crate and I marveled at the dog's great behavior.  After that, I resumed working and stayed online all the way into the afternoon.  Along the way, breakfast and lunch were basically just snacks.  My day was full of meetings, with only a few short breaks (mostly to work some more on the Thanksgiving planning).  Once my work day was completed, I took Maple for a walk near the apartment (started at 1630).  We logged over a mile, with lots of birding in the good weather (partly sunny, temps in the 50s and not much wind).  I started to wonder if my daughter was home so went back to check at 1715.  Finding her there, I dropped off Maple and went outside for a second walk.  This time, I walked much farther afield than I've ever done in the few years since Mollie moved to Fredericksburg.  I wandered through condo and townhome neighborhoods, found more birds and got a great feel for the local area.  Sadly, none of this walk was on established trails - just sidewalks and apartment drives.  Still, it felt good to finish my step goal in the process of being outside in the good weather.  Back at Mollie's (1815), I joined her and Alex for dinner.  During my absence, Mollie had made some pasta with chicken and peas.  As usual, the food was very good and we all enjoyed some more of the wine that Mollie had found the day before.  Along the way, Mollie impressed me wither sewing (machine) skills - she fixed the seam on my hiking pants!  During this window, we started watching an episode of "A NASCAR Life" (Netflix Series) - this was clearly a favorite pastime of Alex's and I was mildly entertained as well.  The biggest surprise was that Mollie seemed relatively knowledgeable about the sport and drivers.  Nest, Mollie suggested that we watch a movie with Jack Black called "The Anaconda".  I'll admit that I was nervous about the format, tempo and film stars but I must also concede that it was marginally funny.  Mollie and Alex also made it to the end.  At 2130, I adjourned to the guest room and spent time reading, doing puzzles and Duolingo exercises.  Bed time was at 2245.  Not the most exciting day but I am very glad to be visiting my daughter - she's been a great host!

Nomad Life - Day 191

I woke up at 0545 this morning (before my alarm) and started teleworking immediately.  I did take one break to do some reading, puzzles and Duolingo.  Alex and Mollie woke up (0630) and we all had snacks for breakfast.  During this window, I was intermittently working while also talking and planning with them.  They departed the apartment (after putting Maple in her crate) at 0730.  For my part, I spent the whole morning working.  At about 1200, I took another break (to get a shower and eat lunch) but then returned to my computer, working continuously through to 1400.  I did feel bad about leaving Maple in her crate but I guess that's what normally happens to her during the day...  At 1430, I took another break and went on a walk on the Virginia Central (Rail) Trail near Mollie's home.  Unlike the last time I walked on the (paved) trail (with Mollie and Alex back in December 2024), I left my car at the Harrison Road Park.  It was warm (52 F) and sunny when I got started and the conditions were perfect for being outside and birding.  Except for the heavy pollen - that was not very pleasant... Even funnier, there were a LOT of squirrels playing in the trees and under the fallen leaves.  Butterflies of different colors flew alongside me as I walked (and, later, when I was driving). By the end of the walk, I completed the section that runs through this area of Spotsylvania County - by 1545, I had logged just over three miles.  After returning to Mollie's apartment, I took Maple for a walk.  She seemed happy about this turn of events and we definitely had a good time.  Back at the apartment again, I resumed teleworking until just after Mollie got home from work (1730).  Without much time to visit, we headed out to dinner at the nearby Durango Grill.  The pub/restaurant (which I'd visited on a previous trip to see Mollie) had a beer special, appetizer discount and burger offer - we took advantage of all three!  Mollie and Alex's "Work Dad" (Rob) and his wife (Carrie) showed up about 20 minutes after we did.  For nearly two hours, we had a nice visit and some great food (and drinks) were good.  We were done eating at 1930 and returned to the apartment, where we set up on Mollie & Alex's couch to watch a movie called "Happiness for Beginners".  During the film (which was partly about hiking the Appalachian Trail), we enjoyed more wine.  Meanwhile, Maple was being very entertaining...  At some point, Alex went to bed but Mollie and stuck with the movie until the end.  Afterwards (2130), I went walking in the neighborhood to get the rest of my 10K steps.  Finished with that, I returned to the apartment and said good night to my daughter and her dog.  In the the guest room, I did some reading and Duolingo exercises before heading to bed at 2300.  There wasn't a lot of excitement today but it was great to have time to be outdoors, play with a happy dog and visit with my daughter!