Is That A Monument In Your Pocket? Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Washington MonumentAfter a mediocre breakfast at the Holiday Inn, hey it was free, Donna, Sally and I put on our walking shoes. We walked down to the Arlington Memorial Bridge, crossed the Potomac and visited the Lincoln Memorial. Then we did the war memorial tour, Vietnam, Korean and then the Big One, the new WWII Memorial. (Wonder where the WWI Memorial is? Kansas City) We then trooped all around the tidal basin to take in the Jefferson Memorial. Even though we are midway through the 2 week Cherry Blossom Festival, the trees refused to cooperate with the festival scheduler, they peaked a couple days before. Because of last Wednesday’s rain and wind there are very few blossoms left on the trees. It is colder and windier than it should be for this time of the year which made the walk back to our hotel a very uncomfortable one. I bet we covered 5-6 miles.

We took a minor break to let our bodies get back to normal operating temperature and then jumped in the rental car to drive to Sterling, VA. Donna and I convinced Sally to come with us and drive BMWs to benefit the Susan Komen Foundation. From looking at the BMW dealer’s website I knew is was on VA28 north of Dulles Airport. We got on 28 going north and drove and drove and drove until 28 turned into VA7 and disappeared. Donna in the back spotted a couple of the Ultimate Drive cars going the opposite way, so we ambushed one and got on his tail. We hung with him until he ended up at the dealer (even with his wrong turns.) I signed up to drive, Sally was going to drive cars too, while Donna was going to do her usual navigator details. The three of us did a familiarization loop with me at the wheel of a 750, Sally sitting right seat and Donna in the back. Next, I drove a Z4 convertible and Sally drove Donna on a loop in a Z4 coupe. I went back to the rental car to get my camera and as I walked to the front, Donna and Sally went by in the Z4 I had just dropped off, shouting “Catch us if you can.” By the time I got loaded in a 335i convertible, I didn’t see them until I was finishing my loop and they were pulling out of the dealer’s lot in an X3. I hurried and got in a 335i Coupe to try and catch them. No such luck, Sally must be driving like a madwoman, because not only did I not catch them, but by the time I returned the coupe they were long gone in an X5. Deciding that I was just getting further behind, I didn’t even get another car, I just waited for them to return.

After my 4 laps and Sally and Donna’s 5 we decided to take a lunch break. Before we left though we signed up to help them ferry the cars to their next dealer in Arlington where they would be doing it all over again tomorrow. It was a little after 2 PM and they wanted us back at 5 to get prepared for the big caravan. Earlier, while we were searching for the BMW dealer, we had passed a mall and where there is a mall, there is always a variety of restaurants. Trouble was we could remember where it was. It took us about 45 minutes and once even asking directions, before we found someplace called the Dulles Place or something like that Dulles Town Center. Ended up at a Red Robin. What we all had was good, but the bill was like $40 for the three of us, which seems a little high, even for a gourmet burger place.

As if we didn’t walk enough in the morning, after lunch we walked around both floors of the mall to aid in our digestion. We then headed back to BMW of Sterling to wait until it was ferry duty time. I guess we must really be gluttons for punishment because when we got back the three of us loaded up in a 335i sedan and did a loop with me at the wheel. Quickly followed by Sally driving Donna and I around in an X3.

Seeing as we are staying in Arlington, it didn’t make much sense for us to ferry two cars to Arlington, get a bus back to Sterling, only to have to drive back to Arlington in the rental car. So Donna elected to drive the Pontiac G6 and jump in the 19 car BMW caravan and follow us in, saving about an hour and a half or two of DC driving time. Sally drove an X5 and I drove a Z4 Coupe. Donna was originally going to follow me, but when Sally went by first she just hooked up with her. I started about 6 cars back from them, but with all the traffic and stoplights there was no way to keep everyone together. As a matter of fact I got split from their group at the first light and once again never saw the ladies until I got to the end at the next dealer.

It was just a 10 minute drive back to drop of Sally at her place where we said goodbye. A quick circle of the block and we were back at the Holiday Inn. Man that was a long, but very fun day. The only way it could have been better was if it was sixty degrees instead of forty.

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

Lock #37 and Lock HouseWe were up at 4:00AM to drive to Columbia. The flight and all about it went smoothly. The only hitch was that Donna told her friend Sally to meet us at the Alamo counter at Dulles, trouble being there is no counter at the airport, Alamo is off-site. Fortunately, by the time we figured out where Sally’s Metro bus would stop, it was just arriving. We picked out our Pontiac G6 and headed west.

Brunch was at the Cindy-Dee Restaurant just over the Potomac River into Maryland in a small town called Knoxville. The food was pretty good, but I wouldn’t recommend you drive out from DC just to eat there. (As a side note, I won’t be keeping track of the money spent eating out during our trip, can’t really count it as eating out because we have no choice in the matter.) We were on our way to Sally’s sister’s house for Easter lunch, but Sally informed us that lunch meant 2 to 3 PM so topping off the stomach at 9:30AM was a good idea.

After they got home from church, and while the food was cooking, Donna, Sally, Sally’s brother-in-law and I went a half mile back down the road they live on, to an entrance to the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal for a walk. It was a very brisk walk, in more ways than one as the temperature was probably in the upper 30s with a good breeze. After getting back from our walk we had a wonderful free form Easter lunch, that if we had 60’s soul music playing in the background, could have almost passed for scene from the Big Chill. There was Donna and I, Sally, her sister Suzie, Suzie’s husband John, John’s sister Peg, a neighbor of theirs in Georgetown, Suzie and John’s daughter, one of her friends and her friend’s mother.

At around 5:30 Donna and I were running out of steam, so we took our leave and drove back to DC. Sally managed to direct us back to DC without incident, but after arrival, it took us three circles of the tricky roads near the Key Bridge to actually find the Holiday Inn parking entrance.

Tomorrow, the three of us will be doing some touristy stuff, you know, see some monuments, and if we get going early enough maybe we’ll see President George come out to get the Post in his bathrobe.

Well Holed

North, South CarolinaSeeing as we are vacationing in the northeast next week and the temperatures there probably won’t get as high as the mid-fifties, we were not going to let the cold weather here stop us from having a nice day outdoors. Note to would be burglars: Our neighbor’s 75 lb pit bull is spending the week at our house and we are only leaving him two days worth of food.

Our excursion began with lunch out at the Stoplight Deli in downtown Aiken. We both had a cup of chili to start. Then we split a Rachel sandwich (corned beef, ham, swiss cheese, cole slaw, russian dressing on wheat.) We both finished off the meal with a cookie, oatmeal raisin for her, peanut butter for him. The usual water was to drink.

Meal Cost: $11.87
Tip: None
Spent Today: $11.87
Year to Date: $851.36

After lunch we drove to Ridge Spring’s Nut House to pick up a gift sampler for our Easter dinner hosts. While we out we headed over towards Columbia to fill in a Post Office hole. Gaston and Swansea were first and then we were headed to two towns that I originally marked with red dots (meaning no PO) on the map, North and Norway. Between the two pairs of towns, I spotted a sign directing folks to a Post Office in the town of Neeses, so I followed it. We ended up getting photos of five places even though according to my map there should have only been two.

Please tell me why two people who don’t golf (unless you count a bi-annual stab at putt-putt), aren’t really interested in golf and probably can’t name 5 current golfers, will spend 4 evenings at the end of the first week in April glued to the tube watching the Masters?

While I’m asking questions, why in the world would the History Channel be showing The Planet of the Apes?

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Its Not Easy To Be Green

Dead TreeToday was chillier than normal (I won’t say “here” because it seems like that most everywhere), so we waited until after lunch to go for our walk in the woods. Nearly everything is green now (except for the dead trees) and the sky was a bright blue with nary a cloud in sight.

Donna had to donate a couple of vials of blood for a cholesterol test this morning. She had to fast for it, so we went out afterwards to get breakfast. That’s right a return to the New Moon was in order. Another Cranberry Pecan Muffin for hijm. Everything Bagel with cream cheese for her. A bottled water to split.

Meal Cost: $3.98
Tip: $1.02
Spent Today: $5.00
Year to Date: $839.49

Aiken Standard PhotoAfter breakfast we walked across the street to put a five dollar bill in a pink bucket. The Zeta Tau Alpha sorority at USC Aiken were holdiing their 4th annual Rock-A-Thon to raise awareness of breast cancer and to collect money for research. Members of the sorority took turns sitting in rocking chairs in front of the Plum Pudding for 24 hours. They had less than 4 hours to go. Last year they raised $1,500 and their goal for this year was $3,000. All the money raised goes to the to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The Garnetman Project has hit a major roadblock. Andy Smith replied to my email and his price for an 11×17 B&W image and a 8-1/2×11 colored version is $300. I’m not saying that it is not worth that much, because it probably is, but it is more than I wanted to spend. I think I was hoping would have come back with $100, that I could have justified to myself.

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13 Trillion Yen Man

Dice-KI was all set to listen to the Red Sox game on the Internet tonight when I found out they played an afternoon game. On the mound was their new acquisition, Daisuke Matsuzaka (AKA Dice-K) that they paid around 50 million bucks just for the rights to try and sign him to a contract. Then they spent 50 more to sign him. So far he looks like he may be worth the money, giving up just one run on six hits while striking out 10 in seven innings. Twenty more games like that this year and I may take up learning Japanese.

Tomorrow is a holiday for ASCO, so Donna and I will probably sleep late and take a hike in the woods. Saturday we will probably sleep late and try a bike ride. Sunday we will get get up at 4AM to drive to CAE and hop a plane to our nation’s capital. We are off to visit Donna’s friend Sally for a couple of days. She is back from Africa for a few months and learning Spanish now, because her next Embassy assignment is Tegucigalpa, Honduras. After DC we will head up the the ex-Hardware Capital of the World (New Britain, CT) for a brief visit with my family. After that, next Friday and Saturday we will be in NJ for a memorial service for Donna’s aunt Mary who passed away in January. Should be interesting, Mary had 4 daughters, three talk to each other, but two of them aren’t talking to one.

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Don’t Forget NaviGirl

SuperheroesAll Donna could do after reading last nights post was shake her head. (Wait’ll she sees this one.) What’s a good superhero without a sidekick? While Garnetman can drive like the wind, spot the apex of a curve in a flash, the big picture of proper course is his Achilles heel. He needs direction, so who reads the maps that keep him on trajectory? NaviGirl, that’s who.

Why Garnetman might have starved this very evening had not NaviGirl led him to the golden doors of the China Palace. Sizzling Rice Soup for two and a serving of Double Fried Pork split down the middle. Water to drink.

Meal Cost: $13.50
Tip: $2.50
Spent Today: $16.00
Year to Date: $834.49

Once again I “borrowed” the superhero images from The Art of Andy Smith. I did email him to see what he’d charge for his You be the Superhero! program. We’ll see what he says. Of course if he finds this site first and sees the liberties I’ve taken with his art, I may hear from his lawyers instead of him.

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Garnetman

Garnet Red MiataWarning, those of you with a low threshold for stupidity may want to skip this post.

While wiling away some time on the Miata Forum I came upon a post in the NC forum from a woman about getting the exact car she wanted. It is a new MX-5 in Galaxy Gray which is a fairly dark gray with blue undertones. When the folks in that section put their car color in their signatures this color is abbreviated GG. I don’t remember exactly what she had to say, but I really did like her forum name – Galaxy Girl (which could also be abbreviated GG.) I could readily imagine the costume a superhero called Galaxy Girl would have, all dark blue with small silver stars throughout and a big ringed planet on her chest. A chrome silver cape and boots with a dark blue strap mask that had star shaped cutouts to see through.

It was almost enough to make me want to buy a Galaxy Gray MX-5 in 1336 days just so I could change my forum name to Galaxy Guy. Wait, can’t I just change it now to something like Garnet Guy or maybe just Garnetman. Let’s see, dark maroon uniform with a faceted GG or G on the chest in shiny bright red. Red boots and cape with gold piping. For a mask, maybe something like Geordi from ST:NG.

I have commissioned a caricature for the last two Miatas, maybe I could get an artist to draw up Garnetman for me. A Google search led me to a few possibilities, including this one: The Art of Andy Smith.

Andy Smith's Superman Andy Smith's Quasar

The guy has done work for Marvel comics, so his work probably wouldn’t come cheap. I may go ahead and ask anyway. I kind of like this pose of Superman or this other one of Quasar from his Commissions page. Boy if I did get my very own superhero alter ego, you could bet that this web page would get a redesign…

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