Things I See On The Road

I thought this was cute when I went though baggage claim at the Sacremento, CA airport.

What a nice start…

Well it’s been a while since I have written anything on the blog. I doubt anyone is reading it anymore – I know I wouldn’t after this long a hiatus.

This has been a busy week for me. I started off driving to Savannah on Sunday and working there for two days then drove home Tuesday night. Today I am traveling to the west coast on the scenic route. I am on my flight right now from Myrtle Beach to LaGuardia airport – the first of three flights today.

It’s really strange what a business traveler will do to keep the price down and get where they are going on a preferred airline. It was cheaper to fly to New York then back south and then west. And funny enough it’s only taking about 2 hours longer.

The airplane I’m on today seats 90 and there are only 21 passengers and I’m the only person in the first class cabin. I hope the rest of the flights are like this you don’t have to fight to put your bags in the overhead bins.

This week I saw (or should I say noticed) the first honeysuckles blooming along the side of the road. And the first Magnolia Tree in bloom. It’s hard to believe it’s already May and almost Mothers Day again. I got the card in the mail just under the wire this week to get to mom in time. This year I found the funniest card to send her. It had a little kid with crayons and drawings on every piece of furniture, wall, floor and door. The mom was standing in the door with this look of defeat on her face. The caption above the kid was “Someday we will look back on this and laugh”. For some reason this struck me as so funny. So I wrote on the inside “So can we laugh yet?” Mom will surely get a kick out of that.

I get to meet up with some friends out in the San Francisco area on Friday night before I head home on Saturday. Then next week it’s off to Wilmington, NC on Monday and back to Savannah on Wednesday night. Good thing I enjoy my frequent flyer miles and motel points right.

Hope everyone is doing well…

Yes, Yes, Yes... SPRING!

Well anyone who knows me knows how happy I was to take these pictures today in Mobile, Alabama!

I went to Bellingrath Gardens for a few hours when I got here today. I have not been there in 20-25 years. I'll write more about it later this week. For now you just get a few pretty pictures.

A Stranger in Savannah

I bet you all thought I fell off the planet. I am still out here kickkin’ on the road. I am in Savannah again this week.

I really enjoy my drives down here from Myrtle Beach. I left Monday morning at about 5 AM with the big old full moon in the clear skies. These trips take me about 5 hours to drive so there is plenty of time to myself to think and listen to music.

I was really starting to get bummed out about winter lasting so long. I was thinking to myself how I really needed to see trees with leaves on them. Sure enough about an hour later I was in Charleston and some of the Redbuds have started blooming. That means spring is not that far off for those of us that live way up north in South Carolina. Those few little trees made my day.

Today President Obama was in town here. He spoke at a building about a block away from where I am staying. I really expected the traffic to be a zoo due to the presidential motorcades. Much to my surprise the roads were empty since they cancelled classes at the school. The drive home was not bad either.

I did see a lot of Secret Service folks around the hospital today though.

I’ll try not to go months between posts. I just need to post a picture here or there. Hope everyone is doing well out there.

Receivin

Sometimes you just see things that crack you up on the road. I know this sign was not designed this way but it was too funny.

Need I Say More?

You ever have one of those days?

Sights from the Road

Last week I went to Orlando. A co-worker of mine went with me to Sea World and Epcot. It was a nice trip and we get to repeat it next week.

This week I took a quick trip south to Savannah. I took the picture below on the trip. It's about 45 miles south of Charleston, SC. Sometimes there are pictures that just jump out at you - this was one of them.

Orlando Warning - Gas Prices - Suncoast Energys

This week my travels took me to Orlando, FL. I was really excited to get out of the cold weather and to get out and do a few things. What I did not expect was the gouging at a gas station "Suncoast Energys" next to the Hertz Car Rental lot.

If you go to the Orlando area you need to be aware that the gas prices at Suncaost Energys across the street from Hertz is $2 higher than gas stations about a mile down the street.

So if you are ever in Orlando just be careful to watch the fuel prices around the airport. I found the statistics above at the following web-site: http://www.orlandogasprices.com/

Sights from Savannah

Too lazy to write... But I'm back in Savannah and here are a few pictures I took today on my walk around town.

The picture above is one of the many squares in town. The fountain was pretty with the moss and live oaks all around it.

The picture above was the moss in the trees in one of the squares with the sun going down behind it.

This statue is of John wesley the founder of Methodism.

I saw this boat coming in on the Savannah River. I loved the colors.

The bridge across the Savannah River is huge. To really appreciate it you have to see a ship go under it.

I'm not sure what the building above is. But the gold leaf on the roof was beautiful in the sunlight.

A Different Day

Well I’m in my new location I’ll be writing from over the next few months – Savannah, GA.

Savannah is about a 4.5 hour drive from the house. Not worth flying since I’d have to fly to Atlanta or Charlotte and connect. So I opted to drive this week.

It was strange not to feel rushed to get to the airport. I woke up, went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned, went home and packed my bag then drove south. I didn't have to take off my jacket and shoes, x-ray the bag, pull out my zip-lock back of liquids or any of that. I was able to hang my clothes in the car so I won't have to iron in the morning. So to say today is a "Different Day" certainly describes it.

I did have to be here for a phone call in the late afternoon, but the worst case would be I’d pull off on the side of the road to take the call. The skies were foggy all the way from Myrtle Beach to Savannah. In Charleston I could not see the top of the bridge until I was on it. And when I got to Savannah I couldn’t see the top of the bridge even while I was on it.

Just north of Charleston the basket weavers were selling the baskets on the side of the road. It's amazing how many stands there are and even more how much they charge for them.

Savannah is a really beautiful southern city that reminds me a lot of a small New Orleans. The Live Oak trees and Spanish moss everywhere. There are beautiful city squares and the riverfront. I look forward to getting to explore some here.

I’m sure I’ll have to go eat at Paula Deans sometime. I know she loves cooking rich foods. I’ll have to look and see if she has deep fried butter (no it’s not real, but she does love butter).

What I can do with a few hours and a bus pass in San Francisco

I had a whirlwind day today. I worked from my motel from 4AM - NOON. Then I took off with my BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) ticket and went on into San Francisco. You'd be amazed what I can swing off with a few hours, a bus pass and some determination.

BART is a different transit system than the Municipal Transportation (MUNI). I bought a one day Passport for unlimited rides on the cable cars, buses and MUNI trains. Let me tell you if you are going to get around that's the best way to do it.

I took the cable car from Powell to Hyde.
When you get to the top of the hill you see the most beautiful view of the Downtown skyline.
The cable car takes you to the top of Lombard Street which is the crookedest street in the world. I walked down to take the picture from the bottom up. I noticed there was a house For Sale on this street wonder if Stefan would be intrested? The Coit Tower on top of Telegraph Hill is beautiful. I didn't make it over there to see the art but I did get a great picture from the hill top. At the end of the line is Fishermans Warf. The view to Alkatraz today was really good.San Francisco is known for the Sourdough Bread. I saw this place that made all these different animals out of the bread so I had to take a picture. Then I had Clam Chowder for Lunch. It was really YUMMY.I rode the cable cars to China Town and saw this sign. Lucky for me it was written in English on the other side.I took the train over to the Castro District which is the Gay Area. I got to see the Harvey Milk Memorial and the famous Castro Theater sign.

I saw more than I have uploaded and took about 30 pictures. I got to see our Corporate Office where my paychecks come from.

So that was what I did in a few hours in San Francisco. I rarely get a chance to get out and about when I'm on the road. But as you can see when I do I can cover a lot of ground.

What I See on the Road

Well today I am flying from Wilmington, NC to Oakland, CA. My route takes me through Charlotte and Phoenix so it's going to be a long day. It started at 2:30 AM when I woke up before the alarm to get started. The Wilmington airport is 60+ miles north and to catch the early flight that means leaving the house at 4-4:30 AM. Good thing I was not on the absolute first flight that leaves at 5:30 AM. ICK.

I have also decided I was meant to be born farther south than I am now. It was 39 degrees this morning when I got to the airport. I know that doesn't sound all that cold but to me it might as well have been 15 degrees. I'm sure glad I don't have to live in an area where I'd have to use a snow blower or plow all winter.

I am sitting in the Charlotte airport on a two hour lay-over. Every year they put up two Christmas trees made of live Poinsettias. I thought I'd share a picture with everyone since you may not travel this route to see the tree.

I hope to write a bit more this week. I've had a major block on writing the past few months. When I'm working it's "nose down and give it 150%" and when I'm off I am truly OFF and have no desire to write. I guess this is what writers block is all about. It's not that nothing has happend, its more that I'm too lazy to write about it or document it with photographs.

I hope to get out this week in the San Francisco area and see something other than the inside of a conference room or inside of a motel room. Wish me luck! Maybe I can reach that goal this week.