Fairfax, VA (USA)

[for the third time in the last six months, I went to a funeral today (our landlord this time) - Mollie came with me (as she had when I went to a wake earlier in the month) - we are getting used to visiting the local funeral home but this time we also drove in the funeral procession across Fairfax County - we saw several places that I've missed (I guess) since moving here - the Fairfax Memorial Park was sort of a dull place, not a single standing gravestone (all flat against the ground) - all in all, it was a sad day but it wasn't cold at all (sunny)]

Albany, NY (USA)

[I woke up at around 0700L and got ready - Carolyn was still sleeping, but Ella was wide awake and got ready quickly (we cleaned up the pallet and folding bed) - it was very cold this morning, but the car started one more time (yaaay) and we drove over the Holiday Inn Express, where we met up with Katie, John, Aria and Johnnie for breakfast - it was great to visit and I didn't want it to end, we were having so much fun - but I knew I had a lot of driving left to do, so I said goodbye and got on the road (I-90) - no traffic at all as I made my way west again (via I-88) - the snow hadn't melted and the farms still looked pretty - I made it to Port Crane by 1100L and got gas (same town as last Friday but found the gas station across the street was cheaper this time) - I must admit I was getting tired of the grimy mud/slush/dirt that I'd been seeing this weekend - I couldn't even see my license plate through the gray surface coating on my car... - one piece of good news: it wasn't as cold by that point - got back on the road and switched to I-81 near Binghamton - speeds picked up as I began to encounter several cars that were clearly trying to escape the series of snow storms (and more was forecast on the radio for all areas I passed through during the day) - that helped - I was able to get through Pennsylvania pretty easily, but I hit two areas of construction (Wilkes-Barre area) that really slowed me down and then had trouble as I got to Harrisburg (I-83 traffic was horrible) - by the time I made it into Maryland, I was getting really tired of the different drivers I'd encountered - following additional traffic difficulties on I-695, was very relieved to see that the traffic jam on I-95 was on the other side (eastbound) - I had no trouble as I hit the Beltway and thought traffic problems were done until I heard a report on my favorite DC station (WMAL) that a backup had begun at the Potomac - a well played move to the local lanes kept me completely out of trouble, though (I was glad I wasn't using the "express" lanes) - when getting home, I shared some loot with Nicky and girls - it is amazing that I was able to get up to Albany and back with almost no difficulty - what a nice break! (note - snow hit DC again in the morning and I had trouble getting to work - lucky I didn't see this during the trip!)]

Albany, NY (USA)

[I woke up around 0700L and got ready for the day - while I waited for Carolyn to wake up, I worked on my computer - she made breakfast for herself and then we departed for a few more runs to her magazine drop points (after I had a few forgetful moments with phone, gloves, etc.) - she then drove me into downtown Albany (snow piled so high on sidewalks!!), where we parked near the Egg and Governor's Mansion - it was freezing (windy) during the walk to the New York State Museum but warm inside - I learned a lot about the history of the state (including story of New Netherlands and other archaelogical finds from old Albany) and local flora/fauna - the highlight was a great 9/11 exhibit - we were probably there for about two hours and then headed over to have lunch at the Albany Pump Station (near the Hudson) - what a nice place! - we ate a great meal (special burger!), relaxing and talking for more than an hour - Carolyn then drove me over to the Albany Institute of Art, where we saw a really interesting exhibit about mummies that had been brought to Albany many years ago but were only recently studied - it was another nice place to enjoy with the freezing temperatures! - on the way back to Carolyn's we encountered a scary neighborhood and I started to get work phone calls again (oh well, I almost got two days off...) - we rested for a while before we heard that Katie and her family had arrived at the nearby Holiday Inn Express (1800L) - we drove over and visited for a while before piling into their mini-van and heading up towards Saratoga (I-87) for dinner - we stopped in the town of Clifton Park, where we had dinner at a place called Ravenswood (pub with some interesting local food) - I had some Labatt beer and a mini pizza - everyone else was happy with their food (including the complementary popcorn, which they refilled many times) - it was great to hang out with everyone - when we finished, I called home and the girls talked to their cousins while we all drove back to Albany - when we arrived back at the hotel, the kids (and Carolyn) got in the pool until it closed (2200L) - Carolyn drove me and Ella back to her place for one more night (I have to leave in the morning) - I went to bed almost immediately - whew, what a day!]

Schenectady, NY (USA)

[I woke up around 0730 and got ready for the day - Carolyn said she would still be asleep, so I took my time at breakfast in the hotel - all the hockey kids were watching the Olympics (US Hockey) - I looked out the window and noticed that it had started snowing again, so I hurried out to my car at that point and drove the short distance to where Carolyn lived - I had no problem finding it (near intersection of I-87 and I-90) and parked out front of her house - she saw me and let me in around 0900 - since she still wanted to get ready, I spent about an hour shoveling her driveway so I could get in/out with the car - she gave me a house tour and then she took me on a tour of the town, including many drops for her magazine - it was lightly snowing but was otherwise pleasant - we returned to her home and made plans to spend some time in Schenectady (I found an events calendar that said the Capital Region Wine Festival was being held at Proctors, an old theatre/events center) - Carolyn doesn't drink wine, but she still agreed to go with me - before the event began, we bought our tickets (1220) and then walked around Schenectady - we found some good stores, including Lemmons Irish Shop (where I bought some things for the kids) - when the event started (1300), we already had our tickets and wrist bands - we were able to go right in and I started checking out many of the more than 50 tables with wine, local food and other "cultured" items - it was very enjoyable to relax, talk to other folks sampling wine - Carolyn had fun with a "designated driver" gift bag and got to eat the food, too - I had a funny experience with the staff when I tried to find a restroom (they tried to tell me I wasn't supposed to crash their private event because they didn't see my wrist band - maybe I was looking a little scraggly, but it is VACATION!) - we stayed for almost the full three hours and Carolyn got to leave some magazines at Proctors - we went back to Carolyn's and found there was about an inch of new snow (I didn't feel like shoveling) - while Carolyn reviewed the draft of her next magazine edition, I took a nice nap - when I woke up I realized I must have forgotten my medicine last night (no wonder...) - this led to a trip to the nearby Price Chopper with Carolyn to pick up some supplies (including Tums) - we had a nice evening at her home, playing with the cats and eating a light meal - we ended up watching a Tom Cruise movie, "Oblivion", which Carolyn really liked - I went to bed close to midnight - what a fun day!]

Cooperstown, NY (USA)

[I had planned a trip to visit Carolyn several days ago, but the snowstorm yesterday nearly put a damper on a potential trip north - what a Winter so far! - when I got up this morning (0700L), there was a little bit more snow on our driveway (after hours of shoveling yesterday...) - but I quickly packed and made it out of our neighborhood by 0800L - filled up the tank and headed out on I-95 - saw several accidents as I drove north (jack-knifed tractor trailer truck and half buried cars) but had no problem getting to I-695 and I-83 - by the time I was out of the Baltimore area, I encountered some of the prettiest scenery I've seen in many years - snow covered farms and conifer trees along the (well plowed) interstate highway - hardly any traffic made my drive enjoyable - I spent nearly the whole morning on the phone with people from work (many who claimed they could not get to work - that seemed ridiculous by the time I had entered Pennsylvania) - took a break at the PA Welcome Center and got a road report that speeds dropped to 45 MPH near Hazelton - so I made escape plans (in order: I-78, I-84, I-81 to Syracuse, I-88) - after passing through Harrisburg (got a little off track but found I-81), it became evident that the roads were all passable and the sun was melting snow, so I kept going on my planned route - only slowed down once (near another accident north of Scranton) - when I finally got out of my car again, I was several miles past Binghamton on I-88 - everything working well by that point but I didn't have any wiper fluid left - when I got gas in Port Crane (New York), I began to wish I had another pair of shoes (slush, mud, etc.) - got wiper fluid and continued east - by now, I had heard from Carolyn that she had Valentine's Day plans and might not be able to meet with me before 2200L, so I told her I would find a place to stay - this also allowed me to change plans to visit Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame (on the Bucket List!) - ate lunch (Nicky made) in the car - I got off the interstate at NY-28 and had no trouble finding the town (pretty streets, snow covered lake, quaint homes) - the museum, on the other hand, was not easy to locate... - when I finally found a place to park and walked a bit, I located the HOF (1500L) - my Navy retirement came in handy again and I found I was one of the only people who had come for the day (great time of year for a visit) - what an experience! - I saw all my old heroes (and those of my family and friends) - took lots of pictures and soaked up the whole thing - highlight was the memorial hall with plaques for each member - bought some souvenirs and then got back on the road - had to stop soon after to replenish the wiper fluid - it was getting dark by this point... - I remembered that my co-worker, Rakesh, was "stuck" in Albany from some work he did earlier in the week - I called him and he was still staying at hotel near the Airport - made plans to meet Rakesh for dinner and we ended up going to Carrabas in Latham - the funny part was that we (like many other people) didn't have reservations on one of the busiest "date nights" - we ended up at a table with all the people waiting for two hours to get a booth - we were able to order food and spent the whole night talking to complete strangers about the local area, weather, work, family - what fun! - before we left dinner, I managed to make a reward night reservation at a nearby Holiday Inn Express - after saying goodbye to Rakesh, I drove over to find it and got a bit lost ("Old Loudon Road" vice "Loudon" in it threw me...) - by the time I checked in, I had problems with the room door lock - fortunately, I was rewarded with some food and complimentary beer at the hotel bar, "On Tap" (which was really hopping!!!) - I had a local IPA and then went to my room - watched some TV before bed - off to sleep around midnight...]