At last. We've reached the final day of 2008. There are a few exceptions, but I think most of us will be quite happy to see '08 over and done with.
Some things were good. I made some new friends, both in the blogosphere and in real life. I lost a cat but gained two more. My wife and I got over a little crisis that unexpectedly popped up a couple months ago.
In 2009 ... well, who knows? I want to visit some friends and see some new places. I always say that, don't I? Whether I make it happen this year remains to be seen. The biggest impediment is the demands that my job puts on me. And I must say, just having had another birthday, that I'm looking forward to/hoping for less work and more free time in the future. Read that however you want.
Our plans for tonight are extremely quiet. Maybe we'll watch a movie. Maybe we'll go out for supper. We'll probably watch the ball drop at Times Square (at 11 p.m. local time) and then head upstairs to end the new year right. Most likely we'll be asleep by the time 2009 actually starts.
Sooner or later they will play Auld Lang Syne, and I will get nostalgic about friends who have ... gotten away from me. Friends who are out there somewhere -- somewhere I don't know. Somewhere over the rainbow.
In many cases, it's not due to a falling out or illness or even death. It's due to efx2's ongoing problems over the last two years. Several times efx2 had seemlingly gone down for the last time--but a couple weeks later, it was back up and running (after a fashion). Backups were lost. How many times have we had to restart/reogranize our blogs here? A new efx2blogs.info was formed. Haven't heard a progress report on that for some time now.
Along the way, many gave up and either set up sites at Blogger or Vox or Facebook or elsewhere ... or else simply gave up on blogging altogether. It's understandable, if unfortunate.
So as I hear Auld Lang Syne this year, I'll be thinking of Squilla and Zarafa and Honeychild and Honeyvizer and Miss_T and grnidlady and Vampyre and a few others who don't write so often any more. I think about them as lost friends, and I wonder what they are doing and how they are doing, and I wish that, wherever they are, that they are happy.
Because they were dear to me. And I miss them.
****
We got back home from a fast trip to Oshkosh late yesterday afternoon. In all, we were gone for only 26 hours or so.
We got away much later than planned Monday afternoon, finally driving south as still another cold front blew into the area. Hardly any snow was falling, but a lot of it was blowing around and around, from west to east--crosswise, from right to left, as I drove. One section of road (which works well as a shortcut most of the time) was icy because snow had been drifting across it and was mashed down by car tires. Some places were just plain icy, and we had to cut our speeds accordingly.
For that reason, we didn't get to Oshkosh until about 6 p.m. Then things happened quickly. S, her husband and her 4-year-old grandson came to the motel, and we left for a restaurant with a big buffet selection. We ate well. Yumm.
From there, we went to the motel, changed into swimsuits and enjoyed the motel's pool for an hour or so. We started in the pool, then went to the whirlpool. (The last time we had been together, back in August, we were camping at a small farm and didn't have to bother with swimsuits.)
At first we were the only people there. Then, a big group of high school kids--30 or 40 of them--invaded. Several busloads of kids were at the motel, too. For a while, I shared the whirlpool with four or five nubile young ladies. But that was about the time we had to go back to the motel room. S, her husband and the grandchild changed clothes and left.
We rejoined them (minus the grandson) on Tuesday morning at their house, for breakfast. A nice meal--omelettes, bacon, toast and a homemade Orange Julius. We met their newest cat, who seems to be bipolar. He can be very sweet when you hold him, but he also is a little devil--very destructive, according to S. He used to be called Helen Wheels. Then they discovered she was a he, so now he's officially known as Trouble.
We exchanged some gifts. S gave us cookies and other baked treats. We gave them some blueberry muffins and poppyseed cake that my wife made. I gave S's husband a Three Stooges DVD set--we have many similar tastes, and the Stooges are one of them.
The overriding issue was the weather. I had resigned myself to facing some weather problems--yet another system was blowing through Wisconsin. It left about an inch of snow on my car overnight, but it seemed to be moving away Tuesday morning--no snow was falling as I drove to their place and no snow was falling later as we drove back north towards Green Bay and then Iron Mountain. Packerland was quiet with very light snow. It snowed harder about 40 miles north of Lambeau Field, but just for maybe a half hour--we drove out of it as we got closer to Iron Mountain. We arrived back home about 5 p.m.
At about 6:30, I called S to let them know we were back home safely. She reported they were having a blizzard back at their place.
****
To start the new year, we plan to sleep late, watch the Rose Parade from Pasadena and then the outdoor hockey game between the Red Wings and Blackhawks from Wrigley Field. That ought to be cool!
Nothing more to say this year except this: Despite everything that seems to be happening with the economy, I hope all of you have a happy new year and that 2009 will be better to you than 2008 was.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
The unplanned holiday
Well, for not having a plan, our ad-libbed holiday observance went pretty well.
For one thing, we can thank the Midwest's stormy weather for keeping my older son, Phil, around for one extra day. His original plan was to leave us Friday morning and drive back to Detroit via Chicago--he likes the improv comedy clubs in Chi-Town and was going to stay there that night.
But though he doesn't follow the weather closely, he was still aware of the big storms bearing down on the Second City. Forecasts called for much warmer than normal temperatures, bringing in very heavy rain and a good chance of flooding. That was enough to change his itinerary. As he put it, "Chicago traffic is bad enough the way it is."
So he spent much of his Friday playing games at his brother's apartment. In the evening, he, my wife and I went out for a pizza. Then he went out to meet some classmates at a local restaurant--just four, I guess. It was arranged through Facebook. He got back home, we watched some stuff for a little while, and then he went up to bed.
He left for home Saturday at about 6 a.m.--had something going down in Detroit that night involving the new Jim Carrey movie. He made it home OK--had to deal with rain and a lot of fog along the way, but he didn't have any trouble with it.
Back here, I had to do some work on the paper Saturday. Then, some shopping. Some work assignments. Chipping ice off the back porch, in preparation for the freezing rain forecast that night, just before a snowstorm. The freezing rain never developed, and the heaviest snow went east of us. It just got windy.
As for Christmas Day itself: We all got up late. Dave came over late in the morning, and we gathered in the living room to watch some stuff on TV. We had decided to do a giftless Christmas, but I had some "late birthday gifts" for the two boys.
After lunch, we drove down to see my mom at the nursing home. As luck would have it, she was having a good day, and her face positively lit up when she saw Phil again for the first time in a year. (She sees the rest of us fairly often, and I'm there to visit nearly every week.) Very happy. We visited for the better part of two hours and drove back home. That night, we watched "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull" together.
Another adventure awaits my wife and I on Monday. We plan to drive down to visit S and her husband. Just a short visit--I'm taking them out to dinner, and then we're going to enjoy the pool at our motel. The visit has been tentative for a while due to the very iffy weather and her husband's back problems--he hurt something while shoveling snow a few weeks ago and has been out of work with back pain. S's letter on Saturday says he is doing better.
Still, I phoned her tonight to make sure. We're also keeping an eye on the forecast--more snow is forecast for Tuesday, the day we would be driving back north. Doesn't seem too bad right now. The weather has been ugly all month, anyway.
I tried to do some writing on the computer last night after my wife went to bed. But Charlie had other priorities. You should know the story by now. She invited herself into my lap to get petted and cuddled. Purr, purr, purr. This time, I was able to take a couple pictures--with one hand!--of the big, happy kitty. And here you are ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/CharlieA-12-08.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/CharlieB-12-08.jpg[/IMG]
After a while, my leg started falling asleep. I started fidgeting, and she hopped off ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/CharlieC-12-08.jpg[/IMG]
About five minutes later, I was sitting quietly again, and Charlie came back. This time, she faced the other way ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/CharlieD-12-08.jpg[/IMG]
One more thing about the cats: They seemed a little confused when the bedroom was closed during Phil's visit. That is usually Max's domain--he liked to lie down on the bed and look out the window--and they aren't used to closed doors.
So at night, Charlie and Max would camp out in front of that door for a while--since it is next to the computer room, I could keep an eye on things. Then they chase each other downstairs. Their usual exercise just before bed.
For one thing, we can thank the Midwest's stormy weather for keeping my older son, Phil, around for one extra day. His original plan was to leave us Friday morning and drive back to Detroit via Chicago--he likes the improv comedy clubs in Chi-Town and was going to stay there that night.
But though he doesn't follow the weather closely, he was still aware of the big storms bearing down on the Second City. Forecasts called for much warmer than normal temperatures, bringing in very heavy rain and a good chance of flooding. That was enough to change his itinerary. As he put it, "Chicago traffic is bad enough the way it is."
So he spent much of his Friday playing games at his brother's apartment. In the evening, he, my wife and I went out for a pizza. Then he went out to meet some classmates at a local restaurant--just four, I guess. It was arranged through Facebook. He got back home, we watched some stuff for a little while, and then he went up to bed.
He left for home Saturday at about 6 a.m.--had something going down in Detroit that night involving the new Jim Carrey movie. He made it home OK--had to deal with rain and a lot of fog along the way, but he didn't have any trouble with it.
Back here, I had to do some work on the paper Saturday. Then, some shopping. Some work assignments. Chipping ice off the back porch, in preparation for the freezing rain forecast that night, just before a snowstorm. The freezing rain never developed, and the heaviest snow went east of us. It just got windy.
As for Christmas Day itself: We all got up late. Dave came over late in the morning, and we gathered in the living room to watch some stuff on TV. We had decided to do a giftless Christmas, but I had some "late birthday gifts" for the two boys.
After lunch, we drove down to see my mom at the nursing home. As luck would have it, she was having a good day, and her face positively lit up when she saw Phil again for the first time in a year. (She sees the rest of us fairly often, and I'm there to visit nearly every week.) Very happy. We visited for the better part of two hours and drove back home. That night, we watched "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull" together.
Another adventure awaits my wife and I on Monday. We plan to drive down to visit S and her husband. Just a short visit--I'm taking them out to dinner, and then we're going to enjoy the pool at our motel. The visit has been tentative for a while due to the very iffy weather and her husband's back problems--he hurt something while shoveling snow a few weeks ago and has been out of work with back pain. S's letter on Saturday says he is doing better.
Still, I phoned her tonight to make sure. We're also keeping an eye on the forecast--more snow is forecast for Tuesday, the day we would be driving back north. Doesn't seem too bad right now. The weather has been ugly all month, anyway.
I tried to do some writing on the computer last night after my wife went to bed. But Charlie had other priorities. You should know the story by now. She invited herself into my lap to get petted and cuddled. Purr, purr, purr. This time, I was able to take a couple pictures--with one hand!--of the big, happy kitty. And here you are ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/CharlieA-12-08.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/CharlieB-12-08.jpg[/IMG]
After a while, my leg started falling asleep. I started fidgeting, and she hopped off ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/CharlieC-12-08.jpg[/IMG]
About five minutes later, I was sitting quietly again, and Charlie came back. This time, she faced the other way ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/CharlieD-12-08.jpg[/IMG]
One more thing about the cats: They seemed a little confused when the bedroom was closed during Phil's visit. That is usually Max's domain--he liked to lie down on the bed and look out the window--and they aren't used to closed doors.
So at night, Charlie and Max would camp out in front of that door for a while--since it is next to the computer room, I could keep an eye on things. Then they chase each other downstairs. Their usual exercise just before bed.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
In search of a plan
I have been wanting to write for a while, but dang it, life just keeps on getting in the way. But I've got a chance now, so I'm going for it.
The main purpose of this entry is simply to wish one and all a happy holiday season, whatever the holiday of your choosing is. May you enjoy it and may it bring you the happiness and peace that it should.
We're going to the Christmas Eve service at 10 p.m. tonight. It could be pretty cold when we get out again--it's supposed to dip to about -6F overnight. But that's just in keeping with the weather we have had lately. To condense it to so many words, this has been a brutal December over most of the U.S. Not only in terms of weather, either.
Today was also my birthday. The morning part was spent at the office, working on stories till noon, when it closed for the day. After lunch, I went out to the local football field, where I got pictures at the annual Xmas Eve Bowl, played between grads of the local high school. It was a fun game. They played for about two hours right on the varsity football field (buried under more than a foot of snow) in 20-degree weather.
Plans for the next few hours are very indefinite. I know we bought several bags of frozen ravioli last week--that's a favorite of both my older son and myself. My older son arrived back here last night about 8 p.m., driving up from the Detroit area and dealing with a lot of blowing snow along the way. He called me at the office Tuesday afternoon for an analysis of the weather still lying ahead of him. I was pleased to inform him that nearly all the bad stuff was now behind him.
Within two hours of his arrival, he managed to (A) hook up his laptop to my wireless router, (B) consume most of two pizzas (with our help), (C) made friends with the cats, (D) watched a couple Three Stooges films and then (E) went to his room to surf the net. The cats (two of whom--Charlie and Max--are spending their first Christmas with us) seemed confused--what's someone doing in that room? First time anyone has used that room since they joined the family.
The third cat, our 16-year-old cat, is named Maggie because of something she did with Phil long, long ago. When we first got Maggie, Phil would hold her in his lap, and she would suck on his T-shirt. The lightbulb ignited: In a moment of inspiration, I christened her Maggie, after the pacifier-sucking member of the Simpsons.
My friend, B, who lives in Alaska, told me that her two sons and a daughter-in-law all made it home safely--but not without some adversity. One of the sons lives in Portland, Ore., and she told me he had to walk 20 blocks--with his suitcase--to get to the train line that went to the Portland airport. About 10 inches of snow had shut down the city bus system. The other son and his wife came from New York City and had a long, long, long day at the airports. But they're home now, and that's what counts.
I hope B and her husband and the rest of their family have a happy holiday season. My friend S is having about 15 over for a nice Christmas dinner together, and I hope they have a happy time. And the same wish goes out to all of you, wherever you are, however you spend it.
As for us, we're going to visit my mom during the afternoon. Plans after that are highly indefinite. We'll come up with something. But sometimes just being together is enough.
The main purpose of this entry is simply to wish one and all a happy holiday season, whatever the holiday of your choosing is. May you enjoy it and may it bring you the happiness and peace that it should.
We're going to the Christmas Eve service at 10 p.m. tonight. It could be pretty cold when we get out again--it's supposed to dip to about -6F overnight. But that's just in keeping with the weather we have had lately. To condense it to so many words, this has been a brutal December over most of the U.S. Not only in terms of weather, either.
Today was also my birthday. The morning part was spent at the office, working on stories till noon, when it closed for the day. After lunch, I went out to the local football field, where I got pictures at the annual Xmas Eve Bowl, played between grads of the local high school. It was a fun game. They played for about two hours right on the varsity football field (buried under more than a foot of snow) in 20-degree weather.
Plans for the next few hours are very indefinite. I know we bought several bags of frozen ravioli last week--that's a favorite of both my older son and myself. My older son arrived back here last night about 8 p.m., driving up from the Detroit area and dealing with a lot of blowing snow along the way. He called me at the office Tuesday afternoon for an analysis of the weather still lying ahead of him. I was pleased to inform him that nearly all the bad stuff was now behind him.
Within two hours of his arrival, he managed to (A) hook up his laptop to my wireless router, (B) consume most of two pizzas (with our help), (C) made friends with the cats, (D) watched a couple Three Stooges films and then (E) went to his room to surf the net. The cats (two of whom--Charlie and Max--are spending their first Christmas with us) seemed confused--what's someone doing in that room? First time anyone has used that room since they joined the family.
The third cat, our 16-year-old cat, is named Maggie because of something she did with Phil long, long ago. When we first got Maggie, Phil would hold her in his lap, and she would suck on his T-shirt. The lightbulb ignited: In a moment of inspiration, I christened her Maggie, after the pacifier-sucking member of the Simpsons.
My friend, B, who lives in Alaska, told me that her two sons and a daughter-in-law all made it home safely--but not without some adversity. One of the sons lives in Portland, Ore., and she told me he had to walk 20 blocks--with his suitcase--to get to the train line that went to the Portland airport. About 10 inches of snow had shut down the city bus system. The other son and his wife came from New York City and had a long, long, long day at the airports. But they're home now, and that's what counts.
I hope B and her husband and the rest of their family have a happy holiday season. My friend S is having about 15 over for a nice Christmas dinner together, and I hope they have a happy time. And the same wish goes out to all of you, wherever you are, however you spend it.
As for us, we're going to visit my mom during the afternoon. Plans after that are highly indefinite. We'll come up with something. But sometimes just being together is enough.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Bad boy
've been bad. I know I should have written last week. But I got busy with this and that, and the week went thataway. So it goes.
I've got the blahs. Maybe the blues. Not sure. Holidays are coming. Not in the spirit. Writing short sentences. Terse. Blunt. Enigmatic.
Different kind of holiday for us. My wife and I decided not to do gifts this year--and maybe not again. We've got the things we want. Just too much hassle and not enough need. I could use a new car, but we're not in the tie-a-ribbon-around-your-wife's-new-Lexus bracket. We've gotten a couple of things for the kids, but nothing major. And we told them not to get us anything. Just bring yourself: Your presence will be our presents. We can have fun together for a few days without all the gift-related stress. Don't need stress, don't want stress.
Lately, our weather here has been awful. Awful cold for December. This morning we woke up to -17F. We would expect that in mid-January, but this is really jumping the gun. And it's been seriously cold nearly all month. (As, indeed, most of the U.S. can say. Maybe the deep freeze that our economy is in has spread to the weather, too.)
I hope Santa has Old Man Winter on his Bad Boys list. Give him a chunk of coal.
My son will be coming up for the holidays. Not sure when. I was going to call this morning to try to coax him to divulge his travel schedule. But my cell phone is in my other jacket. On Monday, I was going to switch over to my long winter jacket. (It covers my butt, for one thing.) But the zipper wouldn't work. And I had only gotten the jacket last fall from a well-known national clothing distributor. Anyway, I had transferred all my stuff in the inner pockets to the other jacket, and that's probably where the cell phone is sleeping now. So I gotta run home to get it.
OK, the call has now been made. He'll be here for two whole days (not including his travel days--it's about 11 hours of driving from here to there--10 hours the way he drives). Two days better than none. He hasn't been up here since last Christmas, and we had to deal with a funeral then.
Some time between Christmas and New Year's or else right after New Year's, I/we (she hasn't decided yet) will go down to visit S and her husband. I'll stay at a motel with a pool, take them out to dinner and then we can enjoy the pool. Just an overnight trip--the next morning, I'll drive back home. It takes advantage of an extremely rare week when nothing is happening on the local sports scene. On Jan. 5, it all starts again and goes nonstop for another two months.
About two weeks ago, I sent S a gift card from ***-Mart. (I don't like the store, but S and her husband don't have much money. ***-Mart does, and they undercut every supermarket around. Where does the 800-pound gorilla sleep?) S wrote to me and said the card helped them buy the stuff they needed for a nice Christmas dinner--15 are coming over--and get gifts for the grandkids. She wrote, "I have been praying that the Divine would make a family gathering possible this year. Proof that prayers are answered. :) "
Also, their car seems to be dying. Apparently the problem is a cracked block; it's leaking coolant, but the coolant isn't dripping below the car. When she told me about that, I thought about my mom's car, still sitting in her garage, where it has been for the last three years.
I want to get down to my mom's place this week and talk to the local garage to see if they think it can be revived well enough for them to use after three years of non-use. It's an '86 Taurus. If it works out, I'd have to drive them up north to get it; it's about 130 miles.
***
In mid-August, I mentioned in passing that I have been writing to a new female friend in Alaska. I don't think I have t mentioned her since, but we are still writing and have gotten to be pretty good friends. She has been telling me about their plans for spending the holidays with their two sons (coming up from the Lower 48), and I've been telling her about my sons visiting us for the holidays. Small world.
If I mention her in the future--and I may--she will be known as B.
I've got the blahs. Maybe the blues. Not sure. Holidays are coming. Not in the spirit. Writing short sentences. Terse. Blunt. Enigmatic.
Different kind of holiday for us. My wife and I decided not to do gifts this year--and maybe not again. We've got the things we want. Just too much hassle and not enough need. I could use a new car, but we're not in the tie-a-ribbon-around-your-wife's-new-Lexus bracket. We've gotten a couple of things for the kids, but nothing major. And we told them not to get us anything. Just bring yourself: Your presence will be our presents. We can have fun together for a few days without all the gift-related stress. Don't need stress, don't want stress.
Lately, our weather here has been awful. Awful cold for December. This morning we woke up to -17F. We would expect that in mid-January, but this is really jumping the gun. And it's been seriously cold nearly all month. (As, indeed, most of the U.S. can say. Maybe the deep freeze that our economy is in has spread to the weather, too.)
I hope Santa has Old Man Winter on his Bad Boys list. Give him a chunk of coal.
My son will be coming up for the holidays. Not sure when. I was going to call this morning to try to coax him to divulge his travel schedule. But my cell phone is in my other jacket. On Monday, I was going to switch over to my long winter jacket. (It covers my butt, for one thing.) But the zipper wouldn't work. And I had only gotten the jacket last fall from a well-known national clothing distributor. Anyway, I had transferred all my stuff in the inner pockets to the other jacket, and that's probably where the cell phone is sleeping now. So I gotta run home to get it.
OK, the call has now been made. He'll be here for two whole days (not including his travel days--it's about 11 hours of driving from here to there--10 hours the way he drives). Two days better than none. He hasn't been up here since last Christmas, and we had to deal with a funeral then.
Some time between Christmas and New Year's or else right after New Year's, I/we (she hasn't decided yet) will go down to visit S and her husband. I'll stay at a motel with a pool, take them out to dinner and then we can enjoy the pool. Just an overnight trip--the next morning, I'll drive back home. It takes advantage of an extremely rare week when nothing is happening on the local sports scene. On Jan. 5, it all starts again and goes nonstop for another two months.
About two weeks ago, I sent S a gift card from ***-Mart. (I don't like the store, but S and her husband don't have much money. ***-Mart does, and they undercut every supermarket around. Where does the 800-pound gorilla sleep?) S wrote to me and said the card helped them buy the stuff they needed for a nice Christmas dinner--15 are coming over--and get gifts for the grandkids. She wrote, "I have been praying that the Divine would make a family gathering possible this year. Proof that prayers are answered. :) "
Also, their car seems to be dying. Apparently the problem is a cracked block; it's leaking coolant, but the coolant isn't dripping below the car. When she told me about that, I thought about my mom's car, still sitting in her garage, where it has been for the last three years.
I want to get down to my mom's place this week and talk to the local garage to see if they think it can be revived well enough for them to use after three years of non-use. It's an '86 Taurus. If it works out, I'd have to drive them up north to get it; it's about 130 miles.
***
In mid-August, I mentioned in passing that I have been writing to a new female friend in Alaska. I don't think I have t mentioned her since, but we are still writing and have gotten to be pretty good friends. She has been telling me about their plans for spending the holidays with their two sons (coming up from the Lower 48), and I've been telling her about my sons visiting us for the holidays. Small world.
If I mention her in the future--and I may--she will be known as B.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Season transition
Last Friday morning, I covered the last football game of the season.
Tuesday night, I covered the first basketball game of the season. Four days later. So I guess you can see I'm not going to have too much idle time on my hands. At least for the next few months, the trips will be a lot shorter.
Facts about this trip:
--The only driving I had to do was to and from the school. From there, I rode buses down to Detroit and back.
--Hardly saw any snowflakes during the days we were gone. A few flakes on the way back, but not enough to get the road wet. Mr. Lake Effect was taking a few days off.
--Our team lost 40-0. It was expected. I won't get into everything, but they went up against a powerhouse private school. There is a basic unfairness when small public schools go against large private schools. I could say more about it.
--I road in the bus with the JV team and the cheerleaders. It was a fun time and a good experience. The kids are fun to be with.
--We stayed the first night at the Comfort Inn in Mount Pleasant. We stayed the second night at the Crown Royal Hotel in Auburn Hills, north of Detroit. The Crown Royal is a much more opulent place--but the beds at Comfort Inn were wider and the room a little larger.
--My wife stayed home--and yet I had someone else in my bed both nights! I'll let you ponder that for a minute or so.
--My older son was able to come over for Thanksgiving--he lives about 20 minutes away from the Crown Royal. We arrived about 3:30 p.m., and he came over about a half hour after I called. We had a pizza together in the hotel's bar and talked for about two hours. It was a good visit.
--On Thursday morning, the wake-up call came at 5:30 a.m. On Friday morning, it came at 4:45 a.m. We had to check out, get breakfast downstairs, get on the bus and ride to Ford Field in downtown Detroit. You will be happy to know that they had eliminated the big stink at the field left by the Detroit Lions the day before.
--There was a welcome-home celebration when the bus got back to town--at about 12:45 a.m. Saturday morning. Three police cars and two fire trucks, sirens blaring, escorted the buses back to town, and there was a crowd of about 100 welcoming the players back. From there, the bus went back to the school, where my car was parked. I got back home about 1:30 a.m. The next morning, I was back at the office, working on my story.
--I had my cell phone along, of course, and called home either twice or three times a day. My younger son spent Thanksgiving with my wife, and they watched a couple movies together.
--We had four people in our motel room: a team trainer, the athletic director, a statistician and me. I think the trainer is the youngest of the four, but not by much. One night (in Mount Pleasant) we sat around the coaches' room, enjoying pizza and beer (in most cases) and talking football. I shared the bed with the athletic director.
I'm glad I didn't have to do all that driving, even if the weather conditions were pretty good for Michigan in late November.
Anyway, I'm back now and getting into basketball season. The girls started tonight; the boys begin next week. I have to write preview articles for them--I did the girls on Sunday.
And it's nice to be back home again.
Tuesday night, I covered the first basketball game of the season. Four days later. So I guess you can see I'm not going to have too much idle time on my hands. At least for the next few months, the trips will be a lot shorter.
Facts about this trip:
--The only driving I had to do was to and from the school. From there, I rode buses down to Detroit and back.
--Hardly saw any snowflakes during the days we were gone. A few flakes on the way back, but not enough to get the road wet. Mr. Lake Effect was taking a few days off.
--Our team lost 40-0. It was expected. I won't get into everything, but they went up against a powerhouse private school. There is a basic unfairness when small public schools go against large private schools. I could say more about it.
--I road in the bus with the JV team and the cheerleaders. It was a fun time and a good experience. The kids are fun to be with.
--We stayed the first night at the Comfort Inn in Mount Pleasant. We stayed the second night at the Crown Royal Hotel in Auburn Hills, north of Detroit. The Crown Royal is a much more opulent place--but the beds at Comfort Inn were wider and the room a little larger.
--My wife stayed home--and yet I had someone else in my bed both nights! I'll let you ponder that for a minute or so.
--My older son was able to come over for Thanksgiving--he lives about 20 minutes away from the Crown Royal. We arrived about 3:30 p.m., and he came over about a half hour after I called. We had a pizza together in the hotel's bar and talked for about two hours. It was a good visit.
--On Thursday morning, the wake-up call came at 5:30 a.m. On Friday morning, it came at 4:45 a.m. We had to check out, get breakfast downstairs, get on the bus and ride to Ford Field in downtown Detroit. You will be happy to know that they had eliminated the big stink at the field left by the Detroit Lions the day before.
--There was a welcome-home celebration when the bus got back to town--at about 12:45 a.m. Saturday morning. Three police cars and two fire trucks, sirens blaring, escorted the buses back to town, and there was a crowd of about 100 welcoming the players back. From there, the bus went back to the school, where my car was parked. I got back home about 1:30 a.m. The next morning, I was back at the office, working on my story.
--I had my cell phone along, of course, and called home either twice or three times a day. My younger son spent Thanksgiving with my wife, and they watched a couple movies together.
--We had four people in our motel room: a team trainer, the athletic director, a statistician and me. I think the trainer is the youngest of the four, but not by much. One night (in Mount Pleasant) we sat around the coaches' room, enjoying pizza and beer (in most cases) and talking football. I shared the bed with the athletic director.
I'm glad I didn't have to do all that driving, even if the weather conditions were pretty good for Michigan in late November.
Anyway, I'm back now and getting into basketball season. The girls started tonight; the boys begin next week. I have to write preview articles for them--I did the girls on Sunday.
And it's nice to be back home again.
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