My mother's side of the family is from Nova Scotia, just outside of Halifax. As kids, my sister and I spent many a summer (and a few winters) there with our extended family. We had 5 aunts(Emily, Gloria, Fran, Rose, Laverne) and two uncles (Bill and Eddy) who all lived in close proximity.
Our Aunt Fran was married to Roy Geddes, who we learned passed away today. Roy had been having heart problems for some time, but was still spry enough to pop out to Peggy's Cove with us the last time we visited.
When my sister called tonight, we shared some memories of Roy. It's amazing how indelible some of those childhood images are. Roy would take us out onto the lake that crept up to the back of their house. In the beginning, it was in the canoe. But as we got older, I can remember vividly a yellow paddle boat. Roy had to be in his 60s then, but he always had enough energy to head out on the lake. For me, we'd paddle out to the island in the middle of the lake to explore. This involved Roy helping me explore all the caves and lost civilizations a young boy could form in his imagination. For my sister, it was collecting worms to head out and fish. It's so easy to forget about family in the haste of everyday life. And as sad as I was to hear the reason for my sister's call, sharing those memories was a welcome moment.
I can remember a day when we were caught in the middle of the lake in the driving rain, because I had begged Roy to paddle just a little farther. He always wore plaid shirts and round eye glasses. With water spots covering his glasses, he looked at me and smiled as we made our way back to shore. I'm positive I got in trouble when I got back, but Roy just sat there smiling. I may be making up my own memories, but I remember something along the lines of, "Oh, cmon, Dianne (my mother). The boy was having fun."
For me, Roy was always about finding an adventure. I know he had other qualities for his wife and children he leaves behind. But for me, I'll always remember Roy taking the time to let me explore.
These memories make me feel like it was yesterday. After not visiting my family for 10 years, I showed up a few years ago, wife and daughter in tow. It was like I never left. Roy is a great example of the family there that loved us and help raise us.
He will be sorely missed. But I suspect that somewhere up in the clouds, he's blazing a trail through the woods. And that thought makes me smile.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Brief Moment
I hope all 3 of you reading will indulge me for a brief moment. Those of you that we call family already know most of this story.
We lived in a nice neighborhood the last 5 years or so. Or, so we thought. Ever have sand in your bathing suit after you get out of the ocean? Well, there were days in our neighborhood where we felt like that. Other days, it felt like bricks were strapped to our back, like the 4th of July night a kid in our neighborhood decided to throw an M-80 at our 3-year old daughter in our driveway (and missed, thank God).
We moved to a new house two months ago. Today, we finally finished a fence on a significant portion of the acreage (about 2 acres) for our dog and daughter to run around on. Couple that with me picking splinters out of my knees from refinishing the deck, and it's been a full week.
Well, my wife and daughter took our dog out tonight for her first big free run. I came out for a few minutes, but a daunting pile of work pulled me back inside. While I was inside, our dog ran the entire length of the fence, marked her turf a bit, then rolled around on the ground. My daughter thought that was so funny, she joined her rolling around.
How did I know this if I was inside? My wife came inside to thank me for our beautiful new home. In her words, "I just stood in the middle of the yard, looked around, and was so thankful." We shared a warm hug, and she shared the funny and heartwarming moments I missed.
Houses have always been sticks and paint to me. An investment. That probably goes back to being forced out of my childhood home when my parents got separated and my mother got separated from reality.
But I really thought that this house could be different, especially if my wife and daughter felt like it was a home.
Money can't buy everything, and it won't buy us a "home". Money bought us a nice house, but my wife's tireless efforts with my daughter while holding down two jobs are what make this our home.
So, that's it. That's my brief moment, and I appreciate you listening.
We lived in a nice neighborhood the last 5 years or so. Or, so we thought. Ever have sand in your bathing suit after you get out of the ocean? Well, there were days in our neighborhood where we felt like that. Other days, it felt like bricks were strapped to our back, like the 4th of July night a kid in our neighborhood decided to throw an M-80 at our 3-year old daughter in our driveway (and missed, thank God).
We moved to a new house two months ago. Today, we finally finished a fence on a significant portion of the acreage (about 2 acres) for our dog and daughter to run around on. Couple that with me picking splinters out of my knees from refinishing the deck, and it's been a full week.
Well, my wife and daughter took our dog out tonight for her first big free run. I came out for a few minutes, but a daunting pile of work pulled me back inside. While I was inside, our dog ran the entire length of the fence, marked her turf a bit, then rolled around on the ground. My daughter thought that was so funny, she joined her rolling around.
How did I know this if I was inside? My wife came inside to thank me for our beautiful new home. In her words, "I just stood in the middle of the yard, looked around, and was so thankful." We shared a warm hug, and she shared the funny and heartwarming moments I missed.
Houses have always been sticks and paint to me. An investment. That probably goes back to being forced out of my childhood home when my parents got separated and my mother got separated from reality.
But I really thought that this house could be different, especially if my wife and daughter felt like it was a home.
Money can't buy everything, and it won't buy us a "home". Money bought us a nice house, but my wife's tireless efforts with my daughter while holding down two jobs are what make this our home.
So, that's it. That's my brief moment, and I appreciate you listening.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
St. Regis Washington DC
My wife and I enjoyed a night at The St. Regis in DC last night, thanks to the free weekends promotion Starwood ran this summer.
Due to the promo and a bunch of travel, I ended up using my free rooms at:
Sheraton Commander (Boston), 2 rooms
Sheraton Hershey, 3 rooms, 2 nights
St. Regis DC
Le Parker Meridien (New York), 2 rooms
We dropped Catherine off for a sleepover at her grandparents house, and headed downtown. Probably one of the only people to valet park a minivan at the St. Regis.
The front desk informed me they had upgraded us to a Grand Luxe room. The room was nicely appointed, with a separate seating area with a couch and coffee table, along with a king-sized bed, a sizable bathroom, and a view of an alley.
We dropped our stuff and headed to Fogo de Chao, one of our favorite restaurants. We had called and couldn't get a reservation, so we asked the concierge at the St. Regis. Surely, they could get us a table. Uh, no.
We had a backup choice, but I figured I would see if the $20 bill trick would work. So, we walked into Fogo, which was hopping busy. At least 15 or 20 people waiting for tables. My wife sat in the corner, as she said, "Embarrassed that we were trying to get in when it was obvious they were packed."
I said, "It looks like you're slammed, but I was hoping you could squeeze in 2 people." The hostess said, "Stand over there. We'll take care of you."
We were on our way back, my wife shaking her head. We enjoyed a half bottle of Taittinger champagne, and a bottle of Malbec (Luca). Satisfied, and a bit tipsy, we headed back to the hotel for a comfortable night's sleep.
We didn't get a chance to take pictures of the room before we went to bed, but we did snap some shots of the bathroom. Note the TV in the mirror. Nice feature!
Due to the promo and a bunch of travel, I ended up using my free rooms at:
Sheraton Commander (Boston), 2 rooms
Sheraton Hershey, 3 rooms, 2 nights
St. Regis DC
Le Parker Meridien (New York), 2 rooms
We dropped Catherine off for a sleepover at her grandparents house, and headed downtown. Probably one of the only people to valet park a minivan at the St. Regis.
The front desk informed me they had upgraded us to a Grand Luxe room. The room was nicely appointed, with a separate seating area with a couch and coffee table, along with a king-sized bed, a sizable bathroom, and a view of an alley.
We dropped our stuff and headed to Fogo de Chao, one of our favorite restaurants. We had called and couldn't get a reservation, so we asked the concierge at the St. Regis. Surely, they could get us a table. Uh, no.
We had a backup choice, but I figured I would see if the $20 bill trick would work. So, we walked into Fogo, which was hopping busy. At least 15 or 20 people waiting for tables. My wife sat in the corner, as she said, "Embarrassed that we were trying to get in when it was obvious they were packed."
I said, "It looks like you're slammed, but I was hoping you could squeeze in 2 people." The hostess said, "Stand over there. We'll take care of you."
We were on our way back, my wife shaking her head. We enjoyed a half bottle of Taittinger champagne, and a bottle of Malbec (Luca). Satisfied, and a bit tipsy, we headed back to the hotel for a comfortable night's sleep.
We didn't get a chance to take pictures of the room before we went to bed, but we did snap some shots of the bathroom. Note the TV in the mirror. Nice feature!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Derek Jeter: Greatest Yankee Ever?
Derek Jeter broke Lou Gehrig's record for most hits by a Yankee tonight. Lou Gehrig had 2,721 hits as a Yankee. Jeter now sits at 2,722.
So, it seemed like a good time to analyze where Jeter sits in Yankee history, even though he's not done writing his story. First, let's look at the top 5 Yankee hitters of all time:
1. Derek Jeter
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Babe Ruth
4. Mickey Mantle
5. Bernie Williams
Wow. That's one heck of a list. Is Derek Jeter really a better player than the guys on this list? Well, he played with Bernie Williams. Gehrig, Ruth and Mantle all won more World Series' rings.
Jeter has the second most all-star selections (10). Not sure which number is more incredible. 16 all-star selections for Mickey Mantle, or only 2 for Babe Ruth.
Jeter's in his 15th season, at the age of 35. Mantle was 37 when he retired, Babe Ruth was 40, Gehrig was 36.
We know Jeter still has some years left in those legs. He might not be the best Yankee ever today. I never had the pleasure of watching Gehrig, Mantle, or Ruth. As a Yankee fan, I feel pretty lucky to have seen Jeter's entire career thus far. I hope to be having the argument for a number of years while he continues to rack up stats as a Yankee.
And, just maybe, a couple more rings.
So, it seemed like a good time to analyze where Jeter sits in Yankee history, even though he's not done writing his story. First, let's look at the top 5 Yankee hitters of all time:
1. Derek Jeter
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Babe Ruth
4. Mickey Mantle
5. Bernie Williams
Wow. That's one heck of a list. Is Derek Jeter really a better player than the guys on this list? Well, he played with Bernie Williams. Gehrig, Ruth and Mantle all won more World Series' rings.
Jeter has the second most all-star selections (10). Not sure which number is more incredible. 16 all-star selections for Mickey Mantle, or only 2 for Babe Ruth.
Jeter's in his 15th season, at the age of 35. Mantle was 37 when he retired, Babe Ruth was 40, Gehrig was 36.
We know Jeter still has some years left in those legs. He might not be the best Yankee ever today. I never had the pleasure of watching Gehrig, Mantle, or Ruth. As a Yankee fan, I feel pretty lucky to have seen Jeter's entire career thus far. I hope to be having the argument for a number of years while he continues to rack up stats as a Yankee.
And, just maybe, a couple more rings.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Double AA Miles and New Elite Rewards
For those who read my blog that ALSO fly, here's a great offer from AA to finish out the year.
Essentially, AA is giving out double elite qualifying miles through the end of the year to help people attain higher status.
On top of that, for people who already have status with AA (Gold, PLT, or EXP), if you achieve certain milestones, AA will give you extra rewards, such as free systemwide upgrades, 25,000 free miles, free Admirals Club membership.
This is obviously because AA, along with all the other airlines are hurting, and their trying to keep loyal customers from switching elsewhere. Now's a great time to jump on a plane and earn status.
Essentially, AA is giving out double elite qualifying miles through the end of the year to help people attain higher status.
On top of that, for people who already have status with AA (Gold, PLT, or EXP), if you achieve certain milestones, AA will give you extra rewards, such as free systemwide upgrades, 25,000 free miles, free Admirals Club membership.
This is obviously because AA, along with all the other airlines are hurting, and their trying to keep loyal customers from switching elsewhere. Now's a great time to jump on a plane and earn status.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tons of Priority Club Points
Kudos to my flying buddy gleff for notification on this lucrative Priority Club promo.
He covered this recently on his blog.
For those that don't know, Priority Club is the loyalty program for Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental, etc. They have a lot of domestic properties, as well as some decent properties overseas. They also make it easy to transfer points to major airlines.
Essentially, you register for the promo, then buy things from their partners. By hitting certain thresholds, you get bonus points for buying things you were planning on buying already.
Stay tuned for a post on my favorite online shopping merchant. The AA website has more merchants than any other out there. Great source for churning miles.
He covered this recently on his blog.
For those that don't know, Priority Club is the loyalty program for Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental, etc. They have a lot of domestic properties, as well as some decent properties overseas. They also make it easy to transfer points to major airlines.
Essentially, you register for the promo, then buy things from their partners. By hitting certain thresholds, you get bonus points for buying things you were planning on buying already.
Stay tuned for a post on my favorite online shopping merchant. The AA website has more merchants than any other out there. Great source for churning miles.
Family Reunion: Hershey Park
Still running VERY far behind on updates. Two or three weeks ago, we had a mini family reunion at Hershey Park. Casts in this movie were my cousin Serena and her husband Ron, as well as my cousin Tom, his wife Nicole, and his kids Olivia, Kiley and Jagger. Catherine had a great time with her cousins!
We spent two days at Hershey, and the kids had a ball. Catherine rode her first roller coaster. While she did look a bit terrified in the beginning, she was so excited when we got done that we went on again. After the second time, she cried because we headed to lunch. She was ready to go again!
There's nothing better, IMO, than spending time with family, and this trip was no exception. Here's a couple of quick pics:
Catherine, with her cousins Kiley, Olivia and Jagger.
Catherine on the Ladybug ride with her cousins.
We spent two days at Hershey, and the kids had a ball. Catherine rode her first roller coaster. While she did look a bit terrified in the beginning, she was so excited when we got done that we went on again. After the second time, she cried because we headed to lunch. She was ready to go again!
There's nothing better, IMO, than spending time with family, and this trip was no exception. Here's a couple of quick pics:
Catherine, with her cousins Kiley, Olivia and Jagger.
Catherine on the Ladybug ride with her cousins.
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