I'm going to divert from my regularly scheduled rantings to start on a story that's been brewing in my head for some time. I began writing it some years ago, but as with everything else I do, I never follow through to finish it. So, here I am again, trying to start this story and hopefully, one day, complete it. There's no title for it yet, so I'm willing to consider suggestions from you, my loyal followers.
Every Sunday was 'Game Day'. Not the same glorified day that many fans celebrated during football season, but rather a day in which some friends gathered around a table to roll dice and play a game of High Fantasy. This Sunday happened to be a special occasion as two old friends were finally rejoining the group after several years off.
The sky that day was clear, the air was crisp, and the breeze was pleasant. It was a September morning in the small town of Enchanted Oaks and most of the businesses in town were closed for today's NFL game. In principle, weekends were reserved for sports. When the high school team played on Saturdays the town shut down to cheer on their squad, The Wolves. Sundays, on the other hand, made passerbys think that Enchanted Oaks was a ghost town. In reality, everyone was huddled around their televisions watching the home town hero, Jayson Lockley, play quarterback for one of the state's pro teams.
However, not everyone in town watched football. This group of friends, who called themselves the "O.C.", otherwise known as the Outcasts, were gathering at the towns one and only game store, The Tolk Inn. It wasn't a great store, especially from the exterior, but the owner, a guy named Jay Gordon, kept it running for the past four years on little, to no revenue. He'd bought the solitary building cheap and renovated the interior. It was an old restaurant that had been shut down due to several health code violations, so there was still a fully operational kitchen in the rear of the establishment.
When he bought the place Jay started to strip down the interior to its bare bones, but when he came into some hard times renovations ceased. Jay's intentions were to open this store as a multi-part business. Stage One was the game store, which has been successful, where game stores are concerned, but the large shadow of the past health code violations halted Stage Two. Which was to open up a restaurant and bar on the other half of the building, in a style similar to classical fantasy inns, where it was part restaurant and part hotel. He had once toyed with the idea of adding boarding rooms in hopes of one day having a chain of establishments that were part store, part restaurant and part inn. In hindsight that was a pipe dream, now it was just a matter of keeping the shop open.
Jay looked at his wrist watch checking it against his laptop's digital display. 9:45 am it read. With fifteen minutes before the crew was due to arrive Jay walked strolled out of his store to the rear of the building. Parked parallel to the building was an old Winnebago, its once white finish was now the color of sand and course to the touch. Paint was peeling off in small sections, and rust was slowly creeping out from several corners of the siding and roof. The best thing it had going for it was that it was a large camper. With plenty of room for Jay, his wife Lori, and their three cats: Sleepy, Sneezy & Dopey; Lori had a fascination with Snow White & The Seven Dwarves, which stemmed from her childhood when her family used to call her Snow, due to her love for winter, and the astonishing resemblance she had to Snow White.
During their twenty-five year marriage they were never interested in having kids, but took to socially adopting the boys they monitored and guided during their stay at a boarding school in the northwest part of the state. Those boys in turn took to calling Lori 'mom' or 'Mrs. G', but never did they call Jay, 'dad', it was always 'Mr. G'. But as the boys got older and graduated they came to call the Gordon's by their first names. Only the closest ones ever kept in contact with Jay and Lori, and those happened to be the same boys that comprised the O.C.
Small stones crunched under his feet as Jay walked across the graveled parking lot. A compressor kicked on as he passed by the rear door of the building; it bucked a couple times before it finally caught a rhythm and hummed loudly as it's blades spun. Jay opened the door to the trailer and was immediately greeted with a nuzzle from Dopey, a sneeze from Sneezy and a yawn from Sleepy. It never ceased to amaze him how spot on their names were. Dopey never meowed, never purred, but was the most affectionate of the three. Sleepy, well, slept all day, except to eat and poop; he was the largest of the three, and had earned the nickname Garfield for his love of anything pasta. Sneezy was the skinniest, and had a strict diet due in part to his veterinarian saying the cat was allergic to nearly every everything -- the sneezing was always a dead giveaway if he'd eaten something he shouldn't have. Petting each, he let the door slam behind him.
"Has the game not started yet, Jay" hollered Lori from the rear of the cabin. Her Sunday ritual was to chat on the social networks and then play solitaire until lunch time. And hearing Jay come in had thrown her off slightly as any other Sunday he'd have waited in the store until game time.
"Not yet, still early. But they should be arriving shortly." Jay responded as he grabbed a large thermal mug from a kitchen cabinet. The mug had seen better days, but it was one of Jay's favorites, and it just happened to the largest of his small collection. He filled it, draining the pot of freshly brewed coffee and sat down to read the newspaper that had gone unopened from this morning's delivery.
"Looks like we're in for one last warm front before fall fully sets in hun." he called back to Lori as he flipped through the ad-heavy Sunday Gazette. He never fully read the paper. Sure he read an article or two here and there, but he was more interested in looking at the headlines and reading the comics.
Minutes passed before a white tail flicked across his face. Jay flinched at the tail's sudden appearance, almost spitting out the swig of coffee he just took. Dopey had silently hopped up on the kitchen table, which was quite a feat as the table was old and rickety - you couldn't put an arm down without rattling the old piece of compressed wood and laminate. If Dopey had a character sheet, his statistic for Stealth would be god-like. The cat's blue eyes met Jay's frustrated look as if saying, "What?" And then without a second look Dopey gracefully leapt off the table and padded to the back to be with Lori.
Jay checked his watch again, 9:57 am, "Time to go hun," he called out, "see you in a couple hours!" He received a barely audible 'goodbye' in return and headed outside. A gust of wind whipped behind him, snatched the door out of his hand and slammed it closed. He turned his head to look towards the horizon. Some clouds were beginning to approaching from the west, but he saw no signs of any approaching storms or tornadoes. Having studied meteorology for two semesters at a community college he was certain of his prediction.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Comments, edits, are welcome
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Episode X
Small Victories
One of the things I've recently learned as a parent is to celebrate the small victories in your child's life. Sure there are the major milestones: first step, learning to drive, graduating, etc. But there are other occasions that are just as exciting that deserve some celebration. This is especially important when your child had to struggle through the first few months of being alive, as mine did.
Back in December of 2010, only four plus months after she was born, my daughter had to have major surgery on her heart. This procedure was to close two holes in her heart, one in the upper chamber, and one in the lower chamber. For any child this is a HUGE deal, as they are struggling to survive, which means their focus is on breathing and not eating. And by not eating, they are loosing weight, which brings its own mess of problems.
At four months most children should have been in the mid to upper teens as far as weight, my daughter was hovering around nine pounds. We were having problems getting her to feed, which is what had driven us to the doctor's office in the first place. The doctor had also been monitoring her heart, as we knew when she was born that she had these holes in her heart. Their hope was that that holes would close themselves, but after four months she hadn't improved . It was therefore decided that she need to have surgery on her heart.
So there I was at work, wrapping up the day, when my wife calls me and tells me that "we need to go to Children's Medical Center in Washington DC, tonight." It caught me off-guard I must say, as I would have at least expected the doctor to give us a day or two to get our things together. But no, our daughter needed to get in quickly, so to patch the two holes.
Two weeks later, after some recovery time, and a successful operation, we all came home from the hospital. In the 18 months since then she has improved greatly. She's gained weight, though still lower than average, and has come along quite nicely -- seeing her today you'd never have expected that she was once in dire circumstances. The scar on her chest, however, is a constant reminder to us of what she once was. So we've come to celebrate the small victories that our daughter achieves.
Going from a helpless baby, to being able to roll onto her stomach, and then eventually crawl, then walk were very exciting moments for us, and her. Having her say her first word, which was "No" was joyful, yet laughable because she wanted to get into everything, and we kept telling her "No". Her first tooth meant she was getting prepared to enjoy a new array of foods -- including one that is a personal favorite, pizza. Learning characters' names on Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and Stargate SG-1 show that she's growing intellectually. She knows some numbers, letters, colors, shapes and other objects. It's all these small things that make us smile, and say, "she's getting so big."
Recently we started trying to potty train her. Though it's usually hit or miss, miss being the more correct course, there have been two instances in which we've had a "hit". Once was when my wife was home, and the other just happened the yesterday. To some it may sound silly to celebrate such an occasion, but I look at that scar on her chest and it makes me realize how lucky we are to have her still be with us today. I cherish these small victories in her life; it's just another display of how determined she is to survive. And seeing her smile and laugh when we cheer for her warms my heart.
Sure, we'll celebrate the bigger milestones in her life with more bravado than some people, but it's because we love our daughter. We're glad she's around. We're glad she gets to experience life, and we get to watch her do so. We'll take pictures or even videos of the bigger events in her life, but the memories of the smaller victories in her life will always be in our hearts and minds. So laugh at me when I give her cheers for peeing in her potty, but it's well deserved, she's worked hard to get to that point and deserves our praise.
If I'm wrong ask your parents to tell of their fondest memories of you. I'm sure one of those moments won't be in a picture album, it'll be a moment that they hold near and dear to their heart. A small victory in your life that only a memory can preserve.
Three cheers for small victories!
One of the things I've recently learned as a parent is to celebrate the small victories in your child's life. Sure there are the major milestones: first step, learning to drive, graduating, etc. But there are other occasions that are just as exciting that deserve some celebration. This is especially important when your child had to struggle through the first few months of being alive, as mine did.
Back in December of 2010, only four plus months after she was born, my daughter had to have major surgery on her heart. This procedure was to close two holes in her heart, one in the upper chamber, and one in the lower chamber. For any child this is a HUGE deal, as they are struggling to survive, which means their focus is on breathing and not eating. And by not eating, they are loosing weight, which brings its own mess of problems.
At four months most children should have been in the mid to upper teens as far as weight, my daughter was hovering around nine pounds. We were having problems getting her to feed, which is what had driven us to the doctor's office in the first place. The doctor had also been monitoring her heart, as we knew when she was born that she had these holes in her heart. Their hope was that that holes would close themselves, but after four months she hadn't improved . It was therefore decided that she need to have surgery on her heart.
So there I was at work, wrapping up the day, when my wife calls me and tells me that "we need to go to Children's Medical Center in Washington DC, tonight." It caught me off-guard I must say, as I would have at least expected the doctor to give us a day or two to get our things together. But no, our daughter needed to get in quickly, so to patch the two holes.
Two weeks later, after some recovery time, and a successful operation, we all came home from the hospital. In the 18 months since then she has improved greatly. She's gained weight, though still lower than average, and has come along quite nicely -- seeing her today you'd never have expected that she was once in dire circumstances. The scar on her chest, however, is a constant reminder to us of what she once was. So we've come to celebrate the small victories that our daughter achieves.
Going from a helpless baby, to being able to roll onto her stomach, and then eventually crawl, then walk were very exciting moments for us, and her. Having her say her first word, which was "No" was joyful, yet laughable because she wanted to get into everything, and we kept telling her "No". Her first tooth meant she was getting prepared to enjoy a new array of foods -- including one that is a personal favorite, pizza. Learning characters' names on Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and Stargate SG-1 show that she's growing intellectually. She knows some numbers, letters, colors, shapes and other objects. It's all these small things that make us smile, and say, "she's getting so big."
Recently we started trying to potty train her. Though it's usually hit or miss, miss being the more correct course, there have been two instances in which we've had a "hit". Once was when my wife was home, and the other just happened the yesterday. To some it may sound silly to celebrate such an occasion, but I look at that scar on her chest and it makes me realize how lucky we are to have her still be with us today. I cherish these small victories in her life; it's just another display of how determined she is to survive. And seeing her smile and laugh when we cheer for her warms my heart.
Sure, we'll celebrate the bigger milestones in her life with more bravado than some people, but it's because we love our daughter. We're glad she's around. We're glad she gets to experience life, and we get to watch her do so. We'll take pictures or even videos of the bigger events in her life, but the memories of the smaller victories in her life will always be in our hearts and minds. So laugh at me when I give her cheers for peeing in her potty, but it's well deserved, she's worked hard to get to that point and deserves our praise.
If I'm wrong ask your parents to tell of their fondest memories of you. I'm sure one of those moments won't be in a picture album, it'll be a moment that they hold near and dear to their heart. A small victory in your life that only a memory can preserve.
Three cheers for small victories!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Episode IX
First Kiss
Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we.
Do you remember your first kiss? Do you remember where you were? Hopefully you remember who it was with. Do you remember the events that lead up to the kiss? There are two "first" kisses I would like to talk about today. The first one was, what I'd consider that true first kiss, and the second is when I first kissed my wife-to-be.
Some of you may disagree with me on this one, as you may feel that a true first kiss occurs when you start dating. Or at least start getting interested in the opposite sex. My first kiss was way back, probably years before many of you ever had your first kiss.When I had my first kiss it was during my early childhood, I'd say somewhere around pre-school. I know this for a fact, as Top Gun -- yes, that movie starring Tom Cruise who was a rogue Navy Aviator named Maverick -- was out on VHS (remember those? makes me chuckle just thinking about it). If you've never seen the movie I won't spoil anything here, but there's a scene in which Maverick gets heavily involved with his female instructor "Charlie" (that was her call-sign), played by Kelly McGillis.
For a five year old that scene was practically porn. Though you never see any fully naked bodies you get a good minute or two of 'sexual content'. And when I mean sexual content, it was more like sweet caresses and kissing. Again, for a five year old though, that was porn -- and it was something I wanted to try. So I went back to pre-school sometime after seeing that movie, and because I was the "cool guy" in class, I was liked by at least two girls, that I can remember. What their names were has long since escaped my mind, and their faces are all but fuzzy outlines. But one thing stands clear in my mind, one got kissed and the other wanted to be kissed.
Looking back on it I wonder how in the hell I got away with it. The playground was surrounded by the school, so there was maybe one place to "hide" if you wanted to get away from people. And that place was the metal-tunnel -- you know, that six or eight foot aluminum tunnel that stood parallel to the ground, and you crawled through it. But that's where I went with the one girl to kiss her. Unfortunately I can't remember exactly how it all came about, but I'll do my best.
I believe it started with a tricycle ride around the playground. Our pre-school had several tricycles that were formed differently, one in particular was a tricycle taxi. And I remember speeding around the yard with a girl in the back seat. It was innocent fun. Yet somehow we ended up in the metal tube together. And I must have told her about Top Gun and encouraged her to attempt this kiss I saw in the movie. Since I'd seen the movie a couple times by that point I thought myself an expert, as I remember telling her how to kiss properly. At first it was just a kiss on the lips, but then I distinctly recall giving her a french kiss.
We may have done this a couple more times after that. Recess would be called and at some point during the break we'd meet up in the tube and kiss. It was close-quarters in there, so I doubt we were in there very long, especially with teachers on the prowl. Then one other girl, I'm guessing was told about this, and got me in the tube some time later. We may have been playing 'The Jackson Family' (yes, we were pretending to be Michael Jackson's family) and I was tagged as the father and she the mother. I recall sitting in the tube with her, but I never made a move, I just wasn't interested in her. After that, the 'kissing game' stopped.
After that it was many years before I kissed another girl -- I was a freshman in High School when that happened again. That relationship I think was more physical than social, as we never went on many dates (although, how could we, any time either of us wanted to do something the other was grounded). Needless to say that relationship went south within a couple months. Four more years slipped by until I kissed another girl, which eventually lead to me kissing my wife-to-be.
I'll spare the details on the events prior to the day of that kiss, but I will tell you that I knew when I went to see her that I was going to kiss her. I didn't know when it would happen, but I somehow knew that kissing her that day was meant to be. Turns out I was right.
It was a September day, and I had finally arranged for us to get together and go out on a first date. She told me to meet her at work, and then when she got done she could show me where she lived and then we could go out. When I pulled up to her work I was excited. It was one of those excited moments where you think you're walking around with blinders on. You're so focused, so pumped, so excited about this one thing that you can't concentrate on anything else.
So I get her work, and as soon as I saw her I was 100% certain that I was going to kiss her. I remember how her face lit up when I saw her that afternoon. The longer I thought about it, the more I knew that kiss was coming. It was just when would the opportunity present itself for the action to occur. Her shift finally ends and we head back to her place, and she invites me in while she goes and changes. Ding, ding, ding ding! Here's my chance. The opportunity has arrived for me to slip in and kiss her.
I gave her some lame excuse to want to see her home, "give me the nickel tour," I say. And she does. It's not a big place by any means, and only takes a couple minutes for her to show me all the rooms. But the opportunity to kiss her still hadn't come, some aspect, some alignment of the stars was still missing. And then I saw the porch. so I said, "what's out there?" Like, DUH, what else would be in the backyard. We went onto the porch and she turned her back on me, and it was like the whole world just dropped away. The moment had come. I put my arms around her, she turned and our lips met in a 'nothing else matters' kiss.
There's no way to truly describe this kiss. In The Princess Diaries -- I'll admit I've seen this movie more than once, my wife likes to watch it from time to time -- they called that one special kiss, the 'foot pop' kiss. Where the girl's one foot raises off the ground, as if she's about to take off into the clouds. Or, it could be described in a manner that only Hollywood could capture a kiss. Where the man plants a kiss on the girl and the world just sort of melts away and it's just the two of them. That's the kind of kiss we had.
First kisses can be tricky, as you don't know what to expect from the other end. Are they a good kisser? Will their lips be soft and moist, or hard and cracked? Will they try to slobber all over you with that first kiss, or will it be brief, just to see if it works? But when you find that perfect kiss, it will happen because it was meant to be. The sparks will fly and you will know that you have someone special in front of you.
Just don't go an argue over who made the first move like I did with one girlfriend. Take the kiss for what it's worth, an attempt to make a physical connection beyond mere a mere touch of the hand. Although, some older movies, like in Sleepless in Seattle, where Meg Ryan's character's mom claimed she knew her husband was the 'right one' when he helped her our of a car. But my feelings are, that a kiss will say it all. Either you'll get a spark or you won't. Cher and Aretha Franklin have it right, "it's in the kiss", the first kiss.
Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we.
Do you remember your first kiss? Do you remember where you were? Hopefully you remember who it was with. Do you remember the events that lead up to the kiss? There are two "first" kisses I would like to talk about today. The first one was, what I'd consider that true first kiss, and the second is when I first kissed my wife-to-be.
Some of you may disagree with me on this one, as you may feel that a true first kiss occurs when you start dating. Or at least start getting interested in the opposite sex. My first kiss was way back, probably years before many of you ever had your first kiss.When I had my first kiss it was during my early childhood, I'd say somewhere around pre-school. I know this for a fact, as Top Gun -- yes, that movie starring Tom Cruise who was a rogue Navy Aviator named Maverick -- was out on VHS (remember those? makes me chuckle just thinking about it). If you've never seen the movie I won't spoil anything here, but there's a scene in which Maverick gets heavily involved with his female instructor "Charlie" (that was her call-sign), played by Kelly McGillis.
For a five year old that scene was practically porn. Though you never see any fully naked bodies you get a good minute or two of 'sexual content'. And when I mean sexual content, it was more like sweet caresses and kissing. Again, for a five year old though, that was porn -- and it was something I wanted to try. So I went back to pre-school sometime after seeing that movie, and because I was the "cool guy" in class, I was liked by at least two girls, that I can remember. What their names were has long since escaped my mind, and their faces are all but fuzzy outlines. But one thing stands clear in my mind, one got kissed and the other wanted to be kissed.
Looking back on it I wonder how in the hell I got away with it. The playground was surrounded by the school, so there was maybe one place to "hide" if you wanted to get away from people. And that place was the metal-tunnel -- you know, that six or eight foot aluminum tunnel that stood parallel to the ground, and you crawled through it. But that's where I went with the one girl to kiss her. Unfortunately I can't remember exactly how it all came about, but I'll do my best.
I believe it started with a tricycle ride around the playground. Our pre-school had several tricycles that were formed differently, one in particular was a tricycle taxi. And I remember speeding around the yard with a girl in the back seat. It was innocent fun. Yet somehow we ended up in the metal tube together. And I must have told her about Top Gun and encouraged her to attempt this kiss I saw in the movie. Since I'd seen the movie a couple times by that point I thought myself an expert, as I remember telling her how to kiss properly. At first it was just a kiss on the lips, but then I distinctly recall giving her a french kiss.
We may have done this a couple more times after that. Recess would be called and at some point during the break we'd meet up in the tube and kiss. It was close-quarters in there, so I doubt we were in there very long, especially with teachers on the prowl. Then one other girl, I'm guessing was told about this, and got me in the tube some time later. We may have been playing 'The Jackson Family' (yes, we were pretending to be Michael Jackson's family) and I was tagged as the father and she the mother. I recall sitting in the tube with her, but I never made a move, I just wasn't interested in her. After that, the 'kissing game' stopped.
After that it was many years before I kissed another girl -- I was a freshman in High School when that happened again. That relationship I think was more physical than social, as we never went on many dates (although, how could we, any time either of us wanted to do something the other was grounded). Needless to say that relationship went south within a couple months. Four more years slipped by until I kissed another girl, which eventually lead to me kissing my wife-to-be.
I'll spare the details on the events prior to the day of that kiss, but I will tell you that I knew when I went to see her that I was going to kiss her. I didn't know when it would happen, but I somehow knew that kissing her that day was meant to be. Turns out I was right.
It was a September day, and I had finally arranged for us to get together and go out on a first date. She told me to meet her at work, and then when she got done she could show me where she lived and then we could go out. When I pulled up to her work I was excited. It was one of those excited moments where you think you're walking around with blinders on. You're so focused, so pumped, so excited about this one thing that you can't concentrate on anything else.
So I get her work, and as soon as I saw her I was 100% certain that I was going to kiss her. I remember how her face lit up when I saw her that afternoon. The longer I thought about it, the more I knew that kiss was coming. It was just when would the opportunity present itself for the action to occur. Her shift finally ends and we head back to her place, and she invites me in while she goes and changes. Ding, ding, ding ding! Here's my chance. The opportunity has arrived for me to slip in and kiss her.
I gave her some lame excuse to want to see her home, "give me the nickel tour," I say. And she does. It's not a big place by any means, and only takes a couple minutes for her to show me all the rooms. But the opportunity to kiss her still hadn't come, some aspect, some alignment of the stars was still missing. And then I saw the porch. so I said, "what's out there?" Like, DUH, what else would be in the backyard. We went onto the porch and she turned her back on me, and it was like the whole world just dropped away. The moment had come. I put my arms around her, she turned and our lips met in a 'nothing else matters' kiss.
There's no way to truly describe this kiss. In The Princess Diaries -- I'll admit I've seen this movie more than once, my wife likes to watch it from time to time -- they called that one special kiss, the 'foot pop' kiss. Where the girl's one foot raises off the ground, as if she's about to take off into the clouds. Or, it could be described in a manner that only Hollywood could capture a kiss. Where the man plants a kiss on the girl and the world just sort of melts away and it's just the two of them. That's the kind of kiss we had.
First kisses can be tricky, as you don't know what to expect from the other end. Are they a good kisser? Will their lips be soft and moist, or hard and cracked? Will they try to slobber all over you with that first kiss, or will it be brief, just to see if it works? But when you find that perfect kiss, it will happen because it was meant to be. The sparks will fly and you will know that you have someone special in front of you.
Just don't go an argue over who made the first move like I did with one girlfriend. Take the kiss for what it's worth, an attempt to make a physical connection beyond mere a mere touch of the hand. Although, some older movies, like in Sleepless in Seattle, where Meg Ryan's character's mom claimed she knew her husband was the 'right one' when he helped her our of a car. But my feelings are, that a kiss will say it all. Either you'll get a spark or you won't. Cher and Aretha Franklin have it right, "it's in the kiss", the first kiss.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Episode VIII
ROAD TRIP & ON THE BORDER
This past Wednesday was a real treat. Though nothing had been planned I knew we weren't going to just sit around all day, on day in which both my wife and I had off. Originally I hadn't intended to do much more than hang around Frederick, but the road was calling and I needed to drive.
Road Trip
For most people a road trip is an adventure to explore new places, see new things, and maybe get somewhat lost in the process. It may also mean staying the night somewhere after a heavy day of driving, but not in all cases.
Unlike many people I know, I enjoy driving, and will venture down roads I've never been down. Does it matter where it leads? No, of course not, for I'm certain that I will be able to find my way back home. It's not that I can't get lost, but I have a decent sense of direction, being able to visualize roads and where they connect without looking at a map. For instance, when my mom and me lived in Wisconsin, there was a time when she got lost trying to get home. I was way to young to drive at the time, but my internal radar was spot on. According to her I was able to guide us home lickety-split.
As I mentioned above my original thought for the day was to walk around Frederick and call it a day. But a sudden meeting changed my perspective on the day. Prior to the meeting I had dropped off my wife at the mall, thinking that this meeting would take at least an hour. Thirty minutes later I was back at the mall, discussing our plans for the day with my wife.
She'd eaten a late breakfast so she wasn't really hungry, which meant a delay on food for me, since I'd been up since eight that morning. I could have grabbed some lunch at Red Robin, or one of the many surrounding restaurants that encompass the mall, but I wasn't going to waste money on lunch if not all of us were going to eat. So we headed for the car and our daughter was starting to get fussy. "We should just go home," my wife said. "We can put her to bed and then go out later."
I just don't do that. If I'm out and about, I want to stay out. If I have to go home I might as well stay home. I gear myself up for the day of being 'around town' and when I'm forced to go home early I get grumpy. So I insisted that we stay out, that I wanted to go for a drive, and we did. My mind immediately started compiling points of interest.
Baltimore has the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards; DC has the National Mall and museums, and Nationals Park; while Woodbridge, VA has On the Border and The Game Parlor. By the time I had collected my thoughts I was already driving south, so Baltimore was out. Sure, I could have crossed over some back roads to get us back on I-70 East, or I-95 North, but the day was drawing on and I wasn't going to spend all my time driving. I chirped about my POIs to my wife, and we decided, because it was too hot out, that we'd go to Woodbridge.
First it was time for lunch. And while my wife was wanting Chili's I wanted to one-up her. So I took her to On the Border, possibly THE BEST Tex-Mex Restaurant EVER!! (Now for a departure from our regularly schedule program ...)
On The Border
If you've never been to OTB then you're missing out on some of the best food in the United States. When it comes to Tex-Mex, OTB is where you need to be. It has been over two years since we were last at the OTB in Woodbridge, and we were both pleased to have made the choice to return.
I had first started going there with my parents when we lived in Woodbridge some fifteen years ago. At the time it was a new restaurant, and when we tried it, we got hooked. Service hasn't always been the best, but the food was great! We even got to know one of the bartenders, which I recommend to anyone who frequents any one restaurant. And now that we've moved away from the area, any chance we have at returning to Woodbridge, we make sure to visit OTB.
Their latest menu is packed full of delicious choices. So many in fact that I had a hard time choosing. My wife tried one a watermelon flavored drink, which she enjoyed, and had their grilled chicken salad (which she claims is still not as good as Chili's Quesadilla Salad). I had their Chimichanga, and ordered a side of Guacamole and Avocado Fries. Now, let me say, whoever invented the Avocado Fry should win an award. It's simple in design, but has an amazing flavor. Take avocado slice, deep fry them and sprinkle a zesty salt on top and ta-da, you have the Avocado Fry! Creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. And it comes with a chipotle ranch dressing, it's just fabulous! Oh, and the Chips and Salsa are better than anywhere else. If you like your salsa with a kick, OTB is where it's at!
I highly recommend OTB to anyone who has the chance to visit. (now back to our program ...)
Road Trip (continued)
After leaving OTB, with leftovers in hand, we tried to decide where to go next. We'd talked about going to The Game Parlor, but knew that if we went that we'd spend more money. And as it was getting into the main part of rush hour, I knew we needed to head for home.
If anyone has driven on I-95 or I-395 during rush hour, you know it can be a nightmare. And what should only take an hour or more to get home can turn into nearly a two hour commute. So I chose to take a longer route home, thinking that I could cut across some back roads and get home in just over an hour and a half. Well, that didn't turn out exactly as I planned.
Prince William Parkway takes you from Woodbridge and into Manasas, from which you can then get on I-66 West to pick up I-81 to Hagerstown, MD. By my estimations that drive would take just about two hours. But when you start taking detours that time increases. We left Woodbridge just after 4pm and didn't make it home until 7pm. So much for my clever detour.
But all was not lost. As I drove down I-66 I decided to get off on a side road that paralleled the interstate. It was a nice scenic route, but was 20 mph slower than the main route. And since we had already had a long trip down there (just over an hour and a half) my wife wanted to get home. Knowing that it was going to be at least thirty minutes before we got to Winchester I knew we needed to stop and stretch our legs.
A sign caught my eye and we made our way back to one of the many national parks in the area. It was a nice little park, and since it was off the main road it was nicely secluded in the hills of Frederick County. No one was there so we were able to walk freely about and give our daughter a chance to see the beautiful countryside. We walked about for maybe thirty minutes before making our way back. This little stop by the extended drive worth all the trouble.
Finally we made it home. Had I decided to just deal with the traffic I never would have found this quaint little park. It's now a place I am sure we will want to visit again. As they had several picnic areas and many walking trails. So you see, random road trips are worth every dollar spent in gas to get there, because you never know what hidden jems you may find.
This past Wednesday was a real treat. Though nothing had been planned I knew we weren't going to just sit around all day, on day in which both my wife and I had off. Originally I hadn't intended to do much more than hang around Frederick, but the road was calling and I needed to drive.
Road Trip
For most people a road trip is an adventure to explore new places, see new things, and maybe get somewhat lost in the process. It may also mean staying the night somewhere after a heavy day of driving, but not in all cases.
Unlike many people I know, I enjoy driving, and will venture down roads I've never been down. Does it matter where it leads? No, of course not, for I'm certain that I will be able to find my way back home. It's not that I can't get lost, but I have a decent sense of direction, being able to visualize roads and where they connect without looking at a map. For instance, when my mom and me lived in Wisconsin, there was a time when she got lost trying to get home. I was way to young to drive at the time, but my internal radar was spot on. According to her I was able to guide us home lickety-split.
As I mentioned above my original thought for the day was to walk around Frederick and call it a day. But a sudden meeting changed my perspective on the day. Prior to the meeting I had dropped off my wife at the mall, thinking that this meeting would take at least an hour. Thirty minutes later I was back at the mall, discussing our plans for the day with my wife.
She'd eaten a late breakfast so she wasn't really hungry, which meant a delay on food for me, since I'd been up since eight that morning. I could have grabbed some lunch at Red Robin, or one of the many surrounding restaurants that encompass the mall, but I wasn't going to waste money on lunch if not all of us were going to eat. So we headed for the car and our daughter was starting to get fussy. "We should just go home," my wife said. "We can put her to bed and then go out later."
I just don't do that. If I'm out and about, I want to stay out. If I have to go home I might as well stay home. I gear myself up for the day of being 'around town' and when I'm forced to go home early I get grumpy. So I insisted that we stay out, that I wanted to go for a drive, and we did. My mind immediately started compiling points of interest.
Baltimore has the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards; DC has the National Mall and museums, and Nationals Park; while Woodbridge, VA has On the Border and The Game Parlor. By the time I had collected my thoughts I was already driving south, so Baltimore was out. Sure, I could have crossed over some back roads to get us back on I-70 East, or I-95 North, but the day was drawing on and I wasn't going to spend all my time driving. I chirped about my POIs to my wife, and we decided, because it was too hot out, that we'd go to Woodbridge.
First it was time for lunch. And while my wife was wanting Chili's I wanted to one-up her. So I took her to On the Border, possibly THE BEST Tex-Mex Restaurant EVER!! (Now for a departure from our regularly schedule program ...)
On The Border
If you've never been to OTB then you're missing out on some of the best food in the United States. When it comes to Tex-Mex, OTB is where you need to be. It has been over two years since we were last at the OTB in Woodbridge, and we were both pleased to have made the choice to return.
I had first started going there with my parents when we lived in Woodbridge some fifteen years ago. At the time it was a new restaurant, and when we tried it, we got hooked. Service hasn't always been the best, but the food was great! We even got to know one of the bartenders, which I recommend to anyone who frequents any one restaurant. And now that we've moved away from the area, any chance we have at returning to Woodbridge, we make sure to visit OTB.
Their latest menu is packed full of delicious choices. So many in fact that I had a hard time choosing. My wife tried one a watermelon flavored drink, which she enjoyed, and had their grilled chicken salad (which she claims is still not as good as Chili's Quesadilla Salad). I had their Chimichanga, and ordered a side of Guacamole and Avocado Fries. Now, let me say, whoever invented the Avocado Fry should win an award. It's simple in design, but has an amazing flavor. Take avocado slice, deep fry them and sprinkle a zesty salt on top and ta-da, you have the Avocado Fry! Creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. And it comes with a chipotle ranch dressing, it's just fabulous! Oh, and the Chips and Salsa are better than anywhere else. If you like your salsa with a kick, OTB is where it's at!
I highly recommend OTB to anyone who has the chance to visit. (now back to our program ...)
Road Trip (continued)
After leaving OTB, with leftovers in hand, we tried to decide where to go next. We'd talked about going to The Game Parlor, but knew that if we went that we'd spend more money. And as it was getting into the main part of rush hour, I knew we needed to head for home.
If anyone has driven on I-95 or I-395 during rush hour, you know it can be a nightmare. And what should only take an hour or more to get home can turn into nearly a two hour commute. So I chose to take a longer route home, thinking that I could cut across some back roads and get home in just over an hour and a half. Well, that didn't turn out exactly as I planned.
Prince William Parkway takes you from Woodbridge and into Manasas, from which you can then get on I-66 West to pick up I-81 to Hagerstown, MD. By my estimations that drive would take just about two hours. But when you start taking detours that time increases. We left Woodbridge just after 4pm and didn't make it home until 7pm. So much for my clever detour.
But all was not lost. As I drove down I-66 I decided to get off on a side road that paralleled the interstate. It was a nice scenic route, but was 20 mph slower than the main route. And since we had already had a long trip down there (just over an hour and a half) my wife wanted to get home. Knowing that it was going to be at least thirty minutes before we got to Winchester I knew we needed to stop and stretch our legs.
A sign caught my eye and we made our way back to one of the many national parks in the area. It was a nice little park, and since it was off the main road it was nicely secluded in the hills of Frederick County. No one was there so we were able to walk freely about and give our daughter a chance to see the beautiful countryside. We walked about for maybe thirty minutes before making our way back. This little stop by the extended drive worth all the trouble.
Finally we made it home. Had I decided to just deal with the traffic I never would have found this quaint little park. It's now a place I am sure we will want to visit again. As they had several picnic areas and many walking trails. So you see, random road trips are worth every dollar spent in gas to get there, because you never know what hidden jems you may find.
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