Today I got up and said good-bye to Tracy. I loaded up the car and started the drive home. I had originally planned to visit friends and family further South on the East coast but I wanted to make it back to Dayton by Friday evening for the first day (out of two) of my 10 year high school reunion.
So what's my big concern today? Oh, that's right. Not having a back window for a 9 and a half hour drive back to Ohio. The weather forecast showed the Northern 80% of Pennsylvania was going to get rain. Great. I figured that if it started to rain I had three real options.
1. Drive faster and hope the rain would just shoot off the car.
2. Find a gas station with an awning and wait it out.
3. Use the GPS to find a Lowes or Home Depot and buy some plexiglass to cover the hole.
At a gas station in Jersey a guy came up and complimented the car. He noticed the back window and I explained what happened. I told him I was just going to wing the next 9 hours in the car. His first comment was how fast do you think you need to drive to have the rain stream off the car. That's a vote for option 1 above!
To save anymore suspense... I lucked out. At one point I almost had to put on my windshield wipers. And then that was it. For once I didn't want it to look overcast when I was driving. I wanted it to get sunny. I got what I wanted for the last half of the drive. With the sun, though, came the heat. I had the air on full blast but it was still warm due to the huge hole at the back of my car.
So I am back in Dayton. The traveling part of this epic time off has come to an end. I will attend my class reunion and make some notes on the number of states visited, a list of family and friends I have seen, total miles, etc. soon.
Mileage: Starting 81,508 & Ending 82,092= 584
States Visited: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio
Monday, August 8, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Getting Jerzed Once Again: Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Today started as every other day has started here in Jersey. Many of the doors don't latch tight in the house. Including the one in my bedroom. Opal has figured this out. Every morning when my alarm goes off I grab my phone, hit snooze, and turn it from loud to vibrate. As I drift back to sleep, Opal pushes the door wide open and the zoo enters the room.
Today is one of Tracy's days off. She gets Wednesday and Saturday. She therefore considers her Wednesday to be her Saturday. I made my way downstairs and realized Tracy had just gotten up also. We let the dogs out and sat on the back patio for some time talking and enjoying the nice weather. Considering the heat wave, it was downright pleasant outside.
We finally decided it was time to get some food. Apparently Jersey is known for their diners. This was news to me. We stopped at one a few blocks away that looked like an old-school diner: the outside consisted of shiny metal. The food was great. When we left the diner I asked Tracy if I could drive her Subaru WRX. It's a fun car.
We then went shopping at Trader Joe's, DSW, and PetSmart. It was fun just dinking around. Tracy was all excited to have a shopping buddy. When we got back to their house she started to marinate some chicken for dinner. Tommy arrived home shortly thereafter. This was the first time he had seen her since 11 AM on Sunday. It was after 6 PM on Wednesday. Craziness!!
Before we started to cook dinner I told Tracy she needed to drive the Cobra. The two of us set out and I drove first. Earlier in the day the mini-mirror conversation came up and I told her I would get her a set. We drove for maybe 10 minutes looking for an auto parts store and, after no luck, I pulled into a parking lot to turn around. I was going to let her drive and, since the top had been up so far, I thought it would enhance the experience to put it down. (The main reason I wanted her to drive the car is because Tommy started looking up convertible Cobra Mustangs after I let him drive it Sunday. If she likes it that will certainly help his odds.) It didn't even cross my mind to check to make sure there was nothing hanging over the back seat.
The curse of Jersey strikes again. I have had 3 convertible Mustangs and have never had a problem with the top before. I have never carried a pull-up bar in my car, either. As the top was going down I didn't hear anything unusual. No creaks or anything. Then there was an explosion. It sounded like a shot gun going off.
I immediately knew what it was. For a second I hoped the cause of the accident was my camcorder. It wasn't. I had left the pull-up bar (which I brought to use on the trip... and only used once) slightly over the back seat and as the top came down, the window caught the bar and the window smashed out. The carnage is below. Tracy couldn't believe how calm I was. At that point, why get upset? I immediately called a Ford dealer but the service people had left for the day. We drove back (top down) and Tracy loved it. I hope to see Tommy in a convertible Mustang soon.... :)
By the time we got back, Tommy had dinner ready. He couldn't believe it. Neither could I. We looked up prices and we found a cheap window for around $200 (part only). After dinner we had to clear out his garage to make room for the Cobra overnight. We scooped up the glass wearing leather garden gloves and then used a shop-vac for the rest. Tommy cut his elbow. When we were done we watched some TV and it was time for bed. I said my goodnights to Tommy at this point. I figured I would see Tracy in the morning.
Mileage: Minimal but Expensive!
Stayed at Tommy & Tracy's
Picture of the window:
Picture of Tracy and the window. I sent this to Tommy as we drove back:
Today is one of Tracy's days off. She gets Wednesday and Saturday. She therefore considers her Wednesday to be her Saturday. I made my way downstairs and realized Tracy had just gotten up also. We let the dogs out and sat on the back patio for some time talking and enjoying the nice weather. Considering the heat wave, it was downright pleasant outside.
We finally decided it was time to get some food. Apparently Jersey is known for their diners. This was news to me. We stopped at one a few blocks away that looked like an old-school diner: the outside consisted of shiny metal. The food was great. When we left the diner I asked Tracy if I could drive her Subaru WRX. It's a fun car.
We then went shopping at Trader Joe's, DSW, and PetSmart. It was fun just dinking around. Tracy was all excited to have a shopping buddy. When we got back to their house she started to marinate some chicken for dinner. Tommy arrived home shortly thereafter. This was the first time he had seen her since 11 AM on Sunday. It was after 6 PM on Wednesday. Craziness!!
Before we started to cook dinner I told Tracy she needed to drive the Cobra. The two of us set out and I drove first. Earlier in the day the mini-mirror conversation came up and I told her I would get her a set. We drove for maybe 10 minutes looking for an auto parts store and, after no luck, I pulled into a parking lot to turn around. I was going to let her drive and, since the top had been up so far, I thought it would enhance the experience to put it down. (The main reason I wanted her to drive the car is because Tommy started looking up convertible Cobra Mustangs after I let him drive it Sunday. If she likes it that will certainly help his odds.) It didn't even cross my mind to check to make sure there was nothing hanging over the back seat.
The curse of Jersey strikes again. I have had 3 convertible Mustangs and have never had a problem with the top before. I have never carried a pull-up bar in my car, either. As the top was going down I didn't hear anything unusual. No creaks or anything. Then there was an explosion. It sounded like a shot gun going off.
I immediately knew what it was. For a second I hoped the cause of the accident was my camcorder. It wasn't. I had left the pull-up bar (which I brought to use on the trip... and only used once) slightly over the back seat and as the top came down, the window caught the bar and the window smashed out. The carnage is below. Tracy couldn't believe how calm I was. At that point, why get upset? I immediately called a Ford dealer but the service people had left for the day. We drove back (top down) and Tracy loved it. I hope to see Tommy in a convertible Mustang soon.... :)
By the time we got back, Tommy had dinner ready. He couldn't believe it. Neither could I. We looked up prices and we found a cheap window for around $200 (part only). After dinner we had to clear out his garage to make room for the Cobra overnight. We scooped up the glass wearing leather garden gloves and then used a shop-vac for the rest. Tommy cut his elbow. When we were done we watched some TV and it was time for bed. I said my goodnights to Tommy at this point. I figured I would see Tracy in the morning.
Mileage: Minimal but Expensive!
Stayed at Tommy & Tracy's
Picture of the window:
Picture of Tracy and the window. I sent this to Tommy as we drove back:
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Dangers of a Late Night: Tuesday, July 26, 2011
I got up on the later side and, just like yesterday, talked with Tracy before she left for work. I got a funny email from Tommy and asked him how it went getting three hours of sleep. He wrote back that he overslept. Instead of getting up at 6:00 he got up at 8:30! He just didn't hear his alarm go off. When he got to work, he wasn't feeling too hot, either. Poor guy!
When Tracy was leaving for work she mentioned that I should let my three newest friends out back if I leave (these friends being the dogs: Mr. Marbles, Lola, and Opal). I let them out and when I brought them back in, Opal walked over by the couch and yacked. It was horrible. She eats stuff out in the yard... Anyway, when I was walking to the kitchen to get paper towels and the garbage can I found another puddle of yack from one of the cats. Come on now! This is ridiculous. I got it all cleaned up and then the dogs went into their cages for a little while.
Tommy arrived in time for dinner and we went to a nearby sub shop. The food was good and then we just hung out. Tommy was ready for a slower night after the previous one. Later on in the evening one of Tommy's friends came over and we watched a few hours of "Deadliest Catch". Tommy went to bed and Tracy got home on the early side (around 2) and we were lights out shortly thereafter.
Mileage: None
Stayed at Tommy & Tracys
When Tracy was leaving for work she mentioned that I should let my three newest friends out back if I leave (these friends being the dogs: Mr. Marbles, Lola, and Opal). I let them out and when I brought them back in, Opal walked over by the couch and yacked. It was horrible. She eats stuff out in the yard... Anyway, when I was walking to the kitchen to get paper towels and the garbage can I found another puddle of yack from one of the cats. Come on now! This is ridiculous. I got it all cleaned up and then the dogs went into their cages for a little while.
Tommy arrived in time for dinner and we went to a nearby sub shop. The food was good and then we just hung out. Tommy was ready for a slower night after the previous one. Later on in the evening one of Tommy's friends came over and we watched a few hours of "Deadliest Catch". Tommy went to bed and Tracy got home on the early side (around 2) and we were lights out shortly thereafter.
Mileage: None
Stayed at Tommy & Tracys
Meeting the Jersey Crew: Monday, July 25, 2011
Today started pretty slow. Tommy was gone when I got up. I talked to Tracy before she left for work. Then I just kind of hung out. When Tommy got back from work he said that some of his buddies go out on Monday night to a local bar. Sounded good to me.
We got to the bar around 9:15. His friends were a good time and reminded me of the Dayton crew. Tommy knew I could drive him back so he had several beers. Then JT, one of his friends (who played college football and is maybe 6'5'' and 325 lb), thought it would be good to take it to the next level with vodka and Redbull. We left the bar pretty late. In fact, we only beat Tracy home by 15 minutes. I talked to Tracy while she worked on finishing some charts. Then it was off to bed.
Mileage: Minimal
Stayed with Tommy & Tracy
Here is a picture of Opal. She's scary yet nice:
We got to the bar around 9:15. His friends were a good time and reminded me of the Dayton crew. Tommy knew I could drive him back so he had several beers. Then JT, one of his friends (who played college football and is maybe 6'5'' and 325 lb), thought it would be good to take it to the next level with vodka and Redbull. We left the bar pretty late. In fact, we only beat Tracy home by 15 minutes. I talked to Tracy while she worked on finishing some charts. Then it was off to bed.
Mileage: Minimal
Stayed with Tommy & Tracy
Here is a picture of Opal. She's scary yet nice:
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Getting Jerzed & New York City: Sunday, July 24, 2011
All of us got up around 10 and Tommy started on breakfast. Tracy left for work and Tommy and I got cleaned up to head to New York City. I told Tommy that we should take the Cobra so he could drive it. The only other time he had driven it was when it was wet outside so he couldn't really drop the hammer.
I walked outside first and Tommy followed right behind. I walked to the passenger side of the car and, as best I can remember, I set my camera on the top of the car and started to clear stuff out of the passenger side. After I could sit down we started down the road. As Tommy turned onto the next street, he gave the car some gas and we were off. Less than 60 seconds later I started to look for my camera. I couldn't find it on the ground or in the back seat. Then it hit me... I might have left it on the roof! I stuck half my body out the car window and didn't see it on the roof. We immediately tuned around and went back to look for it. We were back within 3 minutes or so and the camera was gone! After tearing the car apart, searching the road, and searching his house, we declared the camera gone. In the past we have always talked about Jersey being hardcore so I said my camera had been 'Jerzed'. Someone must have seen it and picked it up. It was amazing how fast it all went down. Unbelievable. The pictures of Aunt Nancy, Cousin Linda, Tommy and Tracy (from last night, etc.) hadn't been copied to the computer yet so I lost them!
Somewhat defeated...we caught a train to New York City. It took less than an hour to get there. We arrived at Madison Square Garden. It was stupid hot in the city. We walked by Times Square and the 2011 New Years ball. We walked to Central Park and then took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge and ground zero. It felt like we had walked 30 miles. We were done and made our way back to the subway and then the NJTransit train.
After some food Tommy went off to bed because he had to get up for work tomorrow. I stayed up and watched some TV. After some time, Tracy got home. Actually it was about 2:30 AM when she walked in. We talked about some of her crazy veterinarian stuff (she works Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday as a vet in an animal emergency clinic) and caught up some more and called it a night.
Mileage: Starting 81,473 & Ending 81,493= 20 miles
Stayed at Tommy & Tracy's
States Visited: New Jersey, New York
Times Square:
Rockefeller Center:
Brooklyn Bridge:
I walked outside first and Tommy followed right behind. I walked to the passenger side of the car and, as best I can remember, I set my camera on the top of the car and started to clear stuff out of the passenger side. After I could sit down we started down the road. As Tommy turned onto the next street, he gave the car some gas and we were off. Less than 60 seconds later I started to look for my camera. I couldn't find it on the ground or in the back seat. Then it hit me... I might have left it on the roof! I stuck half my body out the car window and didn't see it on the roof. We immediately tuned around and went back to look for it. We were back within 3 minutes or so and the camera was gone! After tearing the car apart, searching the road, and searching his house, we declared the camera gone. In the past we have always talked about Jersey being hardcore so I said my camera had been 'Jerzed'. Someone must have seen it and picked it up. It was amazing how fast it all went down. Unbelievable. The pictures of Aunt Nancy, Cousin Linda, Tommy and Tracy (from last night, etc.) hadn't been copied to the computer yet so I lost them!
Somewhat defeated...we caught a train to New York City. It took less than an hour to get there. We arrived at Madison Square Garden. It was stupid hot in the city. We walked by Times Square and the 2011 New Years ball. We walked to Central Park and then took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge and ground zero. It felt like we had walked 30 miles. We were done and made our way back to the subway and then the NJTransit train.
After some food Tommy went off to bed because he had to get up for work tomorrow. I stayed up and watched some TV. After some time, Tracy got home. Actually it was about 2:30 AM when she walked in. We talked about some of her crazy veterinarian stuff (she works Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday as a vet in an animal emergency clinic) and caught up some more and called it a night.
Mileage: Starting 81,473 & Ending 81,493= 20 miles
Stayed at Tommy & Tracy's
States Visited: New Jersey, New York
Times Square:
Rockefeller Center:
Brooklyn Bridge:
Time for Tommy and Tracy: Saturday, July 23, 2011
Today started off with some toast. And then some more toast. Four slices in all. I got showered up and it was probably a waste of time because I started sweating immediately. I said my goodbyes and Nancy warned me that if I put any pictures of her on the blog that she would post a picture of me as a child... running around her pool naked. First of all, why did people allow me to run around naked and second of all, who thought to grab the camera? I would have taken a chance and posted some pics but I can't. More on that tomorrow...
Next I made my way to Jersey. I arrived in time for dinner and had a blast with Tommy and Tracy. We went out to a small Italian restaurant and then got some ice cream. We stayed up for a while and caught up. Then Tracy had to go to bed because she works on Sunday.
Mileage: Starting 81,163 & Ending 81,473= 310 miles
Stayed at Tommy & Tracy's (North Plainfield, New Jersey)
States Visited: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Next I made my way to Jersey. I arrived in time for dinner and had a blast with Tommy and Tracy. We went out to a small Italian restaurant and then got some ice cream. We stayed up for a while and caught up. Then Tracy had to go to bed because she works on Sunday.
Mileage: Starting 81,163 & Ending 81,473= 310 miles
Stayed at Tommy & Tracy's (North Plainfield, New Jersey)
States Visited: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Family I Haven't Seen in a Decade: Friday, July 22, 2011
I got up this morning and I noticed the house was down to a comfortable 83 degrees. While that may sound sarcastic, it really felt much better than last night. By the time I had the car packed up, though, it was starting to feel uncomfortably warm again.
I made it to Aunt Nancy's house before 2 PM. We spent some time catching up and then Ed got back from doing some work. It has been a decade since I have seen Ed. Nancy knew that I have an interest in family history so we took a trip to some local cemeteries to gather notes. Shortly after we got back from our field trip my Cousin Linda arrived at Nancy's. It has also been a decade since I have seen her. Nancy and I went for a quick swim to cool off (since she doesn't have A/C either) and then we had pizza for dinner. Around 9:30 Ed called it a night because he had an early get-up on Saturday. Nancy, Linda, and I stayed up late talking. It was great to see everyone!
Mileage: Starting 81,072 & Ending 81,163=91 (estimate, will explain Sunday)
Stayed at Aunt Nancys (Adams, New York)
States Visited: New York
I made it to Aunt Nancy's house before 2 PM. We spent some time catching up and then Ed got back from doing some work. It has been a decade since I have seen Ed. Nancy knew that I have an interest in family history so we took a trip to some local cemeteries to gather notes. Shortly after we got back from our field trip my Cousin Linda arrived at Nancy's. It has also been a decade since I have seen her. Nancy and I went for a quick swim to cool off (since she doesn't have A/C either) and then we had pizza for dinner. Around 9:30 Ed called it a night because he had an early get-up on Saturday. Nancy, Linda, and I stayed up late talking. It was great to see everyone!
Mileage: Starting 81,072 & Ending 81,163=91 (estimate, will explain Sunday)
Stayed at Aunt Nancys (Adams, New York)
States Visited: New York
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