Thanksgiving Trip - Day 6

Sad day - we had to go home... Breakfast with Shannon, Sean, Mary and Leo and then went over to Bonnie's one last time. Hoping to see everyone again soon - but may have to wait until next year's Thanksgiving at National Harbor (MD). Left her house around 1000L and made some good time back to Snyder (saw coyote along the road) - not windy. Things going great until we tried to stop for lunch at (2 different) Skeeter's (reputedly have good fish tacos) and found out they aren't open on Sunday. Tried a few other places for food but eventually had to settle for Wendy's (near Abilene). Everyone got full and then back on the Interstate. Great time until we got to the major construction zone (east of Ranger) - used the frontage road for almost 20 miles (HUGE backup). Just missed a big speed trap. As we drove through Weatherford, the back-up going west looked horrible. Made it into Fort Worth by 1800L - just as the sun finally went down (Mollie said "look at the sky!"). I'm going to miss those long, pretty sun-sets... Unpacked and got everyone ready for bed (it may take a few days to get back to normal time-zones). Great trip!

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 5

Had breakfast around 0900L this morning and then headed over to say a few more farewells. Soon after (1130L), went with the kids to watch the movie "The Muppets." It was pretty good, actually - even Katie loved it. Came out of the theatre to an unbelievable wind - nearly knocked the kids down and it was creating a huge dust cloud. Arrived back at Bonnie's around 1400L and started to watch some more football. Kathy took Mollie out for a special time at the nail salon. Visiting and relaxing until 1715L - then over to St. Helena's for Mass. First Sunday in Advent, along with the long-forecasted change to the Missal (very difficult to get used to!). Finished up around 1835L (cold outside!). Drove directly to Kelly's for a party. Lots of people there - only knew a few. Her Australian Sheep Dog (puppy) was a big hit! Watched Notre Dame lose, unfortunately (again). Very enjoyable time. We stayed until 2200L and then called it a night. Shannon had a sleepover with Mollie but they didn't stay up too late... We leave tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 4

Didn't get up early this morning - despite Bonnie's offer of a French Toast breakfast. Nicky dropped the girls off at 0800L (they wanted to go play with their cousins - wish we could get them up that easily most days!). We joined them at 1000L and the fun began! I watched football with the guys until a bowling party left at 1400L - then it was just me and Chuck. We saw some good games and even watched a bit of Forrest Gump before everyone came back. It was amazing to watch all the different meal choices that everyone made - turkey "dagwoods", tacos, hot dogs, stuffing/mashed potato bowls (etc.). Football continued into the evening, as did the great conversation and socializing. I'm pretty sure that no one would have thought about leaving, but there were folks traveling in the morning and the party wound down around 2200L. It was sad to have to say "good-bye" to some of the family, since we know it may be a year until we can visit again. We took our leave around the same time, thinking that Bonnie was tired [found out later, she stayed up a lot longer - too bad we missed that!]. Kids finding it hard to get sleep with only one more day to go!

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 3

Turkey Day! A new tradition began this year: a Turkey Trot (run, job, walk, crawl) at the Ocotillo Golf Course! It was Elizabeth's idea - and she made T-Shirts. Most of us grumbled about the start time (0900L) and distance (2 miles) - but everyone tried their best to run after the master of ceremonies (Tim) hinted that it was a whole new way of building family comraderie. He wasn't wrong - after the kids raced off to take the lead, everyone settled into their pace for the day. There was a "comfort station" at the mid-point - and Elizabeth was there to provide morale building cheers. Almost everyone was walking by the 1.5 mile point - but some of the boys made it back to the finish line in about 25 minutes. Brenna and Mollie finished in the top 10 (Erin was too busy "babysitting" Katie...) and Nicky arrived near the tail-end of the train - with an adult beverage in her hand (smiling). Videos are priceless (and useful for blackmail)... Had about two hours before the big meal, so we used that to get ready and watch some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. At 1230, drove over to the Country Club for dinner. Saw a lot of friends and even more relatives. Family prayer is always special - led by a priest this time. Great food - so much to choose from. Servers kept wine glasses full (almost TOO full!). Awards ceremony for turkey trot - Elizabeth very proud. Back to our rooms to change into something a little more comfortable. I had a headache, so I took a nap for about an hour. Meanwhile, kids and Nicky went over to Phase II of the dinner - Bonnie didn't want us to go without leftovers, so she had made a whole Thanksgiving meal for snacking! Football games, calls to my sisters, movies and conversation until very late. Didn't get back to the room until around 2330L...

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 2

Mollie and I were up at 0700L (everyone else asleep) - went down to the great buffet breakfast. Nicky drove us over to Bonnie's at 0800L and we got to work - dishes, drinks, food set-up (etc.). Ended up taking Mollie with me to Albertsons to pick up items - always nice to have my shopping buddy! Back at Bonnie's around 1000L. Had some good food for lunch, and then lots of other folks started to show up - Tim and Elizabeth (and Katie!), Andy, Collin, Leo, Mary, Shannon and Sean, etc. Great conversation and free-flowing libations. Kids played outside with their cousins and had a lot of fun. John, Ann, Duncan and Declan arrived after dark - along with Chuck. Lots of hugs every time someone new showed up. Aircraft problems meant that we had to wait for Trish, Terry, Megan and Erin. However, by about 2200L, almost everyone was there - including a lot of Hobbs friends and relations. We were having a good time but Erin wasn't feeling well - so we went back to the hotel a little earlier (2230L) and got some much needed sleep - big day tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 1

The kids had school today - which was good, since Nicky wasn't ready to go yet. Actually, after our whirlwind travel over the last 72 hours, neither was I... It took some doing, but we actually had the car packed and made it over to the girls' school just as they were about to start a big school assembly - so we were able to beat the usual pick-up rush. Drove over to Carswell so I could pick up some medication - weird visiting the base as a retiree... On the road by 1615L - great to avoid the usual traffic jams on Wednesday! Made good time, even through construction zones, and stopped for gas in Sweetwater. Since we were eating food from the fridge (would have gone bad, otherwise), we didn't need to stop for dinner. It was a good thing, too - driving across the desert in the dark sure is different than the normal trip to Hobbs! Windmill farm looked cool at sunset... I made a few wrong turns (Snyder and La Mesa) but soon got back on track (US-180). Mollie and Nicky started talking about seeing a lot of shooting stars, so I stopped the car and turned off the lights - what a view! Reminded me of the Davis Mountain sky (see JUL 2009)... With the time change, we still drove into Hobbs around 2030L. Got started early with some nice visits (Bonnie, Kevin, Kathy). Kathy helped us get checked into our hotel (Fairfield) around 2200L. Got everyone to bed early to prep for late nights to come!

Miami, FL (USA)

This trip seemed so short. More traveling than watching the race (still worth it!). Up at 0600L today - finished packing, quick snack before driving to airport. LOTS of traffic on FL-826, but we made it to the car rental return with two hours to takeoff (gas fillup in fully Spanish speaking neighborhood). It took us over an hour from that point, with train, walk, security (etc.) to get inside the terminal - but we did have enough time to get some delicious pancakes for breakfast (at Sushi Maki Restaurant, of all places!). After finishing, got souvenirs - and then realized we were still a long way from our gate. Had to take another train to get there - and walked up right as they started to call our zone. It took awhile to get everyone on the plane (glad we had small carry-ons) and we left late - but they made it up on the way to DFW. We actually landed early and were on our way to the car before our scheduled arrival time (nice!). I was checking my messages and found out that the company I interviewed with last week had a job offer for me - great! Took care of some other issues (by phone) on the way to our house. Got home just in time to pick up the kids. Spent the rest of the day packing for our annual Thanksgiving trip. Busy, busy!

Homestead, FL (USA)

Race Day!!! This opportunity was really special: closest NASCAR championship series ever - with some trash talk from Tony Stewart and a track that normally doesn't see a drop of rain. I'll mention (for posterity) that Nicky had been needling me for a week to skip the race altogether to drive her to Key West - but the rain this morning dampened (pun intended) her resolve. I really think she wanted to watch part of the race but didn't want to be at the track all day long. In any case, she picked up some food for us (croissant sandwiches) from a quaint bistro nearby and we used the fancy (water-proof) backpacks the travel hosts gave us to bring supplies for the day. While we waited to leave for the track, we saw a lot of Miami Dolphin fans who were on the same kind of travel gig as us (except that they were going to the football game). Our bus (one of three) left from the parking lot at the hotel at around 1000L - the folks seated behind us were from St. Johns, Newfoundland (NASCAR fans!). The rain was bad enough this morning to dampen the mood - and cause me to think (more than once) that the race might be cancelled... Still, we had a police escort all the way to the Homestead-Miami Raceway (using carpool lanes, breakdown lanes - and the grass). I'm SO glad we didn't try to drive ourselves because the traffic jam was huge (some poor suckers were trying to use the Florida Turnpike to get to Key West - ooops!). We arrived at the bus parking area around 1100L - partly cloudy skies by then! There were already a lot of tailgaters there but not a lot of people inside the gates. Nicky and I explored for several hours - getting free samples of racer sponsored snacks, trying to get ourselves on TV (broadcast on Speed Channel), attempting to win (Nicky) free cars, trips to Daytona 500 (etc.). As a Ford owner for nearly 25 years, I was pleasantly surprised by all the fanfare they were making as the sponsors of the championship event. We saw Greg Biffle and Denny Hamlin drive by (three feet away) on golf carts, blending into the crowd very easily as they went to the podium to tout Ford F-150s. We ate some small meals (snacks, really, but Nicky had a Cuban sandwich) at different points before the race began, and tried to get as much out of the full day as we could: photo opportunities with the #14 car, musical entertainment by the Brass Brigade, Seal Team parachutes (etc.). I almost regretted that we hadn't bought a pit pass, but we later learned that the First Lady was in the Pit area all day and that paying customers had been denied access despite having a ticket [BTW, this was the reason for all the "boos" reported by ESPN in the following days]. We took our seats (great ones - 25th row on the front stretch, could see the whole track, only about 100 meters beyond the finish line) around 1430L - watched the driver intros, National Anthem and F-16 fly-by. All day long, Nicky had been commenting (rightly so) that certain things weren't done as well as they do them at Texas Motor Speedway, but our seats were SO much better - and we were among real fans who paid good money for the event. Race began on time (1500L) but we only made it through 14 laps before the rain began (it had been dry ALL day!). We got to watch both Tony Stewart's and Carl Edwards' car in the pit areas - right in front of us - and there was just as much excitement for that as for the race. The "Chase" has been so great this whole year - close and charged with energy every week. You could really feel it in the crowd and the cheers were so loud whenever Tony Stewart made a big (AKA crazy, aggressive, dangerous) move. Carl Edwards seemed to have it in the bag - he was leading the race and he just had to keep Stewart from winning. Stewart even fell to 40th place - twice - before storming back to get the lead (VERY LOUD in the stands). Things were really getting good - but then it started to POUR. We had to run for cover - but couldn't get any food at that time because (several) hundreds of thousands were hiding from the rain, too. Finally, the rain stopped - about an hour and a half later, we were back in our seats for the awesome last half of the race. The ONLY way Edwards could lose the championship was for Stewart to win and for him to be worse than second - but that is almost exactly what happened (#14 first, #99 second). It all came down to amazing passes, stellar fuel strategy and a lucky caution flag - the race was one for the ages. Tied in points, Stewart won the Championship with a tie-breaker. I'm so glad we were there - it was a once in a lifetime event! We stayed long enough to watch a little of the celebration, but it started to pour soon after the end of the race - we ran to our bus. We were actually supposed to leave at around 1900L but - with the rain delay - it was closer to 2100L when we departed. The police escort took us down swamp roads to cut off the traffic jam on the Turnpike - we passed Kyle Busch's and Denny Hamlin's trucks on the way and got on the highway in front of nearly everyone (did I mention I'm glad I didn't drive?!). "Home" at around 2215L. Wanted to go out to eat, but skipped it in favor or packing and getting some sleep for our early morning departure from the airport. What a day - thanks, Nicky!!!!

Miami, FL (USA)

It was already exciting enough to be able to attend a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway, but Nicky's luck continued. She got a call a few days after that race - from the same radio station - where she was informed she had won an all-expenses paid trip to Miami for the last race of the season! Our family has never gotten ANYTHING like that before... We departed this morning from DFW - very early (!) - after some construction delays on the north side of the airport (when will I learn?!). Our flight (on American) took us through Tampa. Hadn't been there for awhile - views on arrival were tremendous. We had a two hour layover, so we had a nice lunch at Chili's in the airport (margarita included...). On our way around 1400L, very short flight to Miami. Things had sure changed since my last visit (see MAR 2007)! The rental car center had moved out pretty far from the terminal - in addition to the walk, we had to ride a train to get there. Problem with our rental reservation, but we got an upgrade (Dodge Avenger) and soon departed (1600L). There was even more construction on the way to our hotel - ended up using surface streets and got into the Cuban vibe... Our resort accomodations were in the town of Miami Lakes (northwest side of the city) - at Shula's Hotel and Golf Club! It was pretty fancy, nestled in a small shop/dine area of town. Our tour coordinator (from Premiere Sports Travel) met us in the lobby and gave us some cool souvenirs as we checked into our room. After seeing the place, I actually regretted getting a rental car - we could have walked around the property and eaten meals nearby... Still, we had our "muscle car" and Nicky had never been to Miami, so I drove her downtown around 1700L. It was just getting dark, so the skyline was pretty. I tried to take her to Miami Beach (and/or South Beach), but the traffic jam on this Saturday night was horrendous. After realizing how hard it would be to get there, Nicky begrudgingly allowed me to drive her to pretty Key Biscayne - a place I'd explored before. We looked for a bit for a good Cuban restaurant, but didn't find a good one out there. Instead, we settled for a seafood meal with a view of the city on the Causeway - at the Rickenbacker Fish Company. They had recently built an outdoor Tiki Bar, and we had a great time in the pleasant weather. Our meal included a few appetizers (buffalo shrimp, locally smoked wahoo) and a shared entree of pistachio crusted Mahi. Nicky tried an interesting drink called the Golden Coconut. Topped off the evening with a great piece of Key Lime Pie. We were there for a few hours before we headed back to our room. With the time change, it didn't seem too late - but we knew we'd need our sleep. Bed early...

Texas Motor Speedway (TX)

Had an unexpected opportunity today: Nicky won two tickets to a NASCAR race! Actually, she won two tickets to three races from a local radio station. She took Erin and Brenna to the truck race (Friday) and Nationwide Series (Saturday). Today, she left early in the morning so she could go to a concert by Trace Adkins at the Speedway (also part of the package!). I headed up to the track later - and as I drove up (1350L), I got to see an awesome fly-by of a B-52 at the end of the National Anthem. I made it to our seats at 1400L - just as the announcer said "Gentlemen, start your engines!" Wow! The view was tremendous - just at the start of Turn 1. After the race began, I realized I had forgotten my earplugs (yikes!). The race went on for about 100 laps before there was a caution - and my ears grew accustomed to the constant, ear-splitting noise. But it was all worth it! I was reminded of the aircraft carrier flight deck as they raced - a deep tone, very loud, vibrating your whole body. I was glad I've watched enough races to know who all the drivers were and how they were performing. We saw a couple of wrecks (minor) but the race went very quickly. The noise, wind generated by the cars, debris from the track, fan-watching (etc.) was priceless. I walked out to my car with around 25 laps to go and ended up spending the rest of the race trying to get my car started (dead battery) - fortunately, another fan helped me. Drove home as it was getting dark - fireworks accompanying Tony Stewart's win. I probably would never have gone to a race without Nicky winning the tickets - but I'm glad she did!