Monday, August 26, 2024

At Least We Made It

What is it about getting to a cruise ship?  Two of the three cruises we’ve taken resulted in a long, stressful journey.  We learned not to fly the day of the cruise as we did in 2017 (https://lifeexperiences.paulishing.com/2017/01/catching-cruise-ship.html), so for 2024 we decided to be doubly safe and leave the house two days before, stay the night in Indianapolis the night before our direct flight and stay the night in Fort Lauderdale the night before the cruise.  Well, thank God we did because it was quite an adventure.  Let’s start with the drive on Friday.

We left around 3:00 pm for the Fairfield Inn & Suites at the Indianapolis Airport, a little over two-hour drive.  It was blowing snow in Ohio but the roads were clear enough and we made it to the Love’s Travel Stop at Exit 149 in Indiana in the typical one hour.  After getting back on I-70 westbound things took a major turn for the worse.  The snow in Indiana was much heavier and the roads started turning very slick.  In an instant, I saw at least a dozen cars that had slid off both sides of the highway and I began to slow down.  I was following a semi-tractor-trailer and the driver hit the brakes hard.  I slammed down on my brakes and pumped them once before I remembered they were anti-lock brakes then pushed the brake pedal to the floor.  With the semi now stopped all I could do was hope and pray I would do the same before hitting its backend, not that I would have hit it all that hard, but I figured at least a few thousand dollars of damages hard.  The chattering brakes stopped our Infiniti G37x with just a couple of feet to spare.  First crisis averted.

We followed that semi as it miraculously weaved its way through the accident scene and back to the open road.  A few dozen miles later, as the roads continued to worsen, we sought another route and Waze directed us to get off at an exit, head north about one-quarter mile and turn west on a County Road.  When we found that road there wasn’t a car on it, it was unplowed, and we smartly decided that being stuck on I-70 was a vastly better option than by ourselves on an unknown road.  We turned around and got back on I-70 westbound.  Several miles later the traffic began to slow down even more and shortly it was at a dead stop.  We sat there waiting to restart our journey and tried to determine what was going on.  We couldn’t find anything on the Internet to explain the situation but it had to be either a bad multi-car pileup or they simply had to close the road to plow and salt it.  It was frustrating to watch I-70 eastbound rolling right along while we were stuck.  After two hours I began an Internet search to find out how much gas a car uses when idling and turned up an estimate of one-half gallon per hour.  Thankfully I had filled the car up before we left even though it didn’t need it for the two-hundred-mile round trip.  I calculated we had until 4:00 am before we ran out of gas if we let it idle the entire time, which we obviously would not have done in favor of running the heater until it was very warm inside and turning the engine off until we started getting too chilled.  I also called the hotel to tell them we would be late and possibly very late but not give up our room.  Unfortunately, I reached a complete idiot who could not comprehend our situation.  

After two and one-half hours we were elated when traffic started moving again.  After a couple of miles, it was obvious that they had shut down the highway to clear it.  We continued our drive to the hotel at about 40-45 miles per hour, but other than a few slicker spots than others, made it safely to the hotel.  We had planned on a nice dinner near the hotel, but everything was closed down.  Fortunately, we packed a couple of submarine sandwiches that we planned to have on the plane Saturday, but that became our Friday night dinner.  After six and one-half hours the second crisis was behind us. 

We had a 12:10 pm departure time for our Southwest flight to Fort Lauderdale and since we now needed food we decided to get to the airport early.  The deal with the hotel included leaving our car there for five dollars per night and we rode their complimentary shuttle to the airport.  We arrived at the airport at 10:00 am, ate McDonald’s McMuffins for lunch then sat at the gate awaiting the boarding call.  We were among the last people to board the plane because I didn’t understand Southwest’s odd boarding process and figured we would be in separate middle seats for the two-hour trip.  We were totally surprised to find two aisle seats across from each other near the back of the plane and snatched those up.  The flight attendant went through the usual seat belt, air mask, leave the smoke detectors alone routine and we pulled away from the gate on time.  The third crisis began as we pulled back to the gate with the pilot informing us that there was a maintenance issue that had to be resolved.  Everyone deplaned and we sat at the gate waiting for more information.  And waited.  And waited some more.

After a three-hour delay, the airline is required to provide you compensation so we grabbed our $100 vouchers for a future flight.  At 3:30 pm they announced they had a different plane for us, much to everyone’s relief.  We boarded at 4:15 pm and this time we found seats together as the plane was not nearly as full.  After a half-hour wait the pilot informed us that all the banging noises we were hearing were because this plane was originally headed to Orlando and they had to transfer all that baggage to their new plane and get our luggage on board.  Oh great!  Now we have to worry that Southwest will screw that up and we’ll get to Florida and our four bags will not be there.  The last thing you want the night before a week-long cruise is scrambling to buy enough dress clothes, shirts, shorts, bathing suits, toiletries, and suitcases to make it seven days.  The fourth crisis had begun before the third one was over.

We finally lifted off at 5:05 pm, five hours late, but better late than never.  The flight attendant announces everyone gets a free drink and everyone cheers.  The flight is pretty smooth but they never turn off the fasten seatbelt sign, so everyone just ignores that and goes anyway.  We land at 7:34 pm and the third crisis is over.  We headed to baggage claim and started getting nervous when our bags were not showing up.  Finally, they announced our bags would be coming up at a different carousel.  After a few more minutes, our first bag appeared.  Then the second, the third, and finally the fourth.  The fourth, and thankfully last, crisis was averted.  

We grab the first cab we encounter and race to the AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Airport to meet up with the four couples we’re cruising with.  We arrive at about 8:30 pm and while we’re at the registration desk, our dear friend Grace meets us with shots of whiskey.  Bless her heart.  

The only bump in the road Sunday was the weather.  It’s always fun to watch the ship leave port and the land fades away while standing on the deck with a cocktail in hand.  Rainy weather prevented that enjoyment, so we had to move the celebration to our favorite, the Martini Bar!

But at least we made it.

Monday, January 15, 2024

The Best of 2023

This is the thirteenth year of posting about the top ten experiences of the previous year and while it was usual that several very deserving ones were left on the chopping block, what makes 2023 special is the top five are not about some awesome concert, awesome dinner, or flying a helicopter.  They are all family-related events that made the year so great.  As usual, we start at number ten and work our way to the best of the best.

10.  Guest Bartenders

When George’s (the owner of Jorrge’s Restaurant and Cantina) wife had shoulder surgery it left him shorthanded and Elaine and I (and several others) volunteered to take a few nights running the bar while he waited tables.  That consisted mainly of pouring beers and margaritas, making an occasional Old Fashioned or frozen daiquiri, and running the cash register.  When we weren't slammed with orders, we talked with the bar folks, most of whom we knew.  It was great helping a friend in a pinch and giving our tips to the young kids who deliver food and clean up tables.

9.  Biltmore Tour 

We began our early September trip to North Carolina by taking a day to tour the mansion, gardens, and grounds at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville.  The tour is self-guided and the provided headset directs you around and activates its narrative when you get to the next room.  Huge dining rooms, libraries filled with thousands of books, majestic fireplaces, bedrooms so large they make their normal-sized beds look small, and huge handpainted religious rugs hanging on walls are just some of its many splendors.  Below ground, the basement is filled with kitchens, pantries, and the servants' quarters, and the floor below that workout rooms, a bowling alley, and the shell of an old swimming pool.  Outdoors, most of the gardens were past their prime yet still lovely, but the conservatory was overloaded with large, beautiful arrangements.  

8.  ain’t too proud 

Our friends Ralph and Kathy treated us in June to “ain’t too proud” at the Schuster Performing Arts Center, a musical about the life and times of the Motown group The Temptations.  Our seats were awesome situated in the middle of the eighth row.  “The Way You Do the Things You Do”, “In the Still of the Night”, “Shout”, “My Girl”, “Ain't Too Proud to Beg”, “If You Don't Know Me by Now”, “Just My Imagination”, and “Papa Was a Rollin' Stone” were just a few of the dozens of hits performed that evening.  The story of The Temptations, their successes and losses, and the number of members who came and went as the group changed over the years was all new to us.  This was a Broadway-quality production and a delightful evening.

7.  Dinner at Beachcomber

We spent another week in Clearwater Beach, Florida with Albert and Marilou (Elaine’s sister and brother-in-law) in late April, the third straight year we left the cold and dreariness of the Ohio winter.  As is Elaine and my tradition, we had an upscale dinner on the final night, this time at Beachcomber, located on the main drag that is Mandalay Avenue.  It was way more upscale than we thought it would be, a true fine dining experience.  Elaine had the surf-and-turf which she recalls to this day, and although I can’t remember mine (it was probably the sea scallops) I do recall it was also delicious.

6.  March Madness in Greensboro

This is the fourth trip to take in the first and second rounds of an NCAA basketball tournament and the trip to North Carolina also allowed us to see our grandson Griffin.  The Friday afternoon games at Greensboro Coliseum had Xavier topping Kennesaw State by five points and Pittsburgh easily defeating Iowa State by eighteen.  We opted to take in the evening games back at our hotel and we’re glad we did.  Rain and fog made it difficult to navigate back in the daylight and I don’t want to think how awful that would have been near midnight.  We watched the Kentucky and Kansas State from the comfort of our hotel.  Fortunately, the Sunday second-round games were scheduled in the early afternoon and we saw double-digit victories by Xavier and Kansas State.  Nothing gets us into the tournament more than immersing ourselves in the early rounds.

5.  Pat Gets Texas A&M Job

Two years after Elaine’s son Pat took the Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends coach at Duke and moved his family from Indiana to North Carolina, Duke’s Head Coach Mike Elko returned to Texas A&M as their Head Coach and offered Pat the Special Teams Coordinator job.  Getting a position like this at an SEC (Southeastern Conference) school is a huge step up and while once again the family has to move, we’re excited for them.  Driving to College Station, Texas would be over 1,000 miles, double the long enough trip to NC, but flying there, or Houston or Austin and driving the rest, will result in about the same amount of travel time, still, they just seem that much further away, at least until the next promotion.

4. Josephine Rochelle Dougherty

Everyone says their newborn grandchild is the cutest thing in the world, but when our granddaughter Joey was born on August 29th, she put all others on notice.  She is simply adorable with her big eyes and adorable smile.  She’s one of those babies that sleep through anything including her brother’s big voice and one or more barking dogs.  We made a special trip down to North Carolina to see her and capture pictures of us while she was still so tiny, just over a week after she was born.  We made two more trips over the next two months to see her, marveling at how fast she was growing physically and in our hearts.

3.  Brian and Deborah Get Married

After a twenty-month engagement, Elaine’s son Brian and his fiance Deborah Klopfenstein exchanged vows in March at St. Charles Church in Kettering, Ohio.  We hosted the Rehearsal Dinner the evening before at a private dining room at Figlio’s where they did a splendid job serving our group of three dozen guests.  The reception was held in the Eichelberger Pavilion in Carillon Historical Park, a stunning venue at easily held 160 guests.  Dinner was provided by Bernstein's Catering featuring charcuterie boards and entrees of slow-roasted short ribs, ricotta agnolotti, and herb-roasted chicken.  The evening concluded with speeches, toasts, and lots of dancing.  

2.  Mike and Leslie Get Married

My son Mike and his finance Leslie Harshman said “I do” in an outdoor ceremony in June at Hidden Valley Orchards in Lebanon, Ohio.  Mike and Leslie have known each other for over ten years, dated for seven, and he finally bought her a ring in 2021.  This was a small, casual but equally beautiful ceremony followed by food and drinks.  All four of our children are now happily married and we couldn’t be happier or more proud of each of them.

1.  15th Wedding Anniversary

We have a wedding anniversary every year (obviously) and I don’t put it on the list, but the 15th seemed so special that I wanted to make it even more so by making it the best of this year’s list.  Elaine and I had a great dinner at Jag’s in West Chester and spent the night at the nearby Marriott.  We have had a great and memorable fifteen years and I love her more now than when we said “I do” at Incarnation Church on January 5, 2008.  So even if our anniversary doesn’t make this list each year, our life together is always the best of the best.