December 2023

Generally this post is Christmas 2023, once again we traveled to Daytona Beach Shores, second year staying at The Max. Resort was relatively quiet again this year, only a dozen or so rooms booked, since the beach is mostly washed away. (Good staff, but they're no wiser than a year ago, which makes one wonder.) But I'm all for fewer people, and weather was considerably warmer this year, upper 60s to 70F most days, and only rain a couple of the days.  We walked the beach every day until I had blisters on my feet, down the pier, and once we dragged Nick down to Crabby's (if he didn't come along, he didn't eat.) Nick and I played billiards upstairs one evening, he got multiple stops at Buc-ees including Christmas Day, and we returned to our favorite Mexican joint, Seniorita's..

Highlight of the trip was an afternoon tour of St. Augustine by sailboat.  It was a private charter, brand new 38' sailboat, Dale the captain was an incredible host, teaching Nick some points about sailing and letting him sail it relatively independently.  It was a joy seeing the fort and lighthouse from the bay without being near all the tourists. Weather was cool but perfect, Brandi even saw dolphins along the boat.  Makes me want to take sailing lessons, would definitely do it again.  Our best meal of the trip was probably there near the docks at Beaches at Vilano.

Before turning for home, we drove across the state to Sebring to see Earl and the family for a short visit, first time to their place in Maranatha.  They took us on a tour of the resort on golf carts, to see the make-shift golf course, pool and all the activities. Jessica is settling in and dating, and Carrie and the boys are doing well (they are relatively self-entertaining at this age.) The visit was nice, the drive out of the wilderness in the dark and rain was miserable, but we made it.

Earlier in the month we celebrated Matilda's first birthday with Haleigh and the family.  And Nick is now driving us most places, like school and piano, although I didn't have him drive on the FL trip, what a mess of people that was.  Of course there was a quiet Christmas at home, too, with gift opening before we left for the trip. (Shopping is all via Amazon anymore, and my father couldn't figure which was to stage the incoming boxes because there's arrows on every side... it's the Amazon logo, not 'this side up'.)

 Pics here.

Fall 2023

Ba came to visit this month, to pick up the 2009 Impala we grabbed for him from Donny. We had an easy weekend watching PSU v OSU at the Wild Wings in Monroe, Nick even came with us to watch football (but brought a device to keep entertained, of course.) Brandi and Jeff got some walks in at the park, and we laid low.

Nick's highlights for the month were the college fair at Lourdes University, sponsored by the high schools.  We walked the tables and Nick was able to ask questions of the college reps. We learned about a program at PSU we didn't know existed in Altoona, along with some smaller schools, and the MAC schools. Not sure we narrowed the pool much, but it gave us some good ideas, like the Cleveland Institute for Art. I was impressed with his questions, and got a chance to see how some of the other kids interacted in the environment, and lots of them looked more lost than Nick. He can't be lost anymore, he officially has a driver's license, which the driving test was quite easy (he was prepared, that helped.) Short drive starting at the high school, the instructor wanted to talk to me more than Nick, and Nick aced the parallel parking, while knowing the town well enough he didn't need directions from the guy.

I made an evening trip to Cinci to see Noah play football, which turned out to be his last game.  The team wasn't that great, but there was no doubt he was the best player in the group, he played safety with a nose for the ball, wideout, and return man.  Took a big hit at the end that cracked rib and punctured his lung, not serious enough that he won't recover.  He's arleady dating the head cheerleader, and he's the best player, time to retire.  And I got to take a nice road trip with my new truck.

I spoke one evening at the SFS career night, with about 20 other guys, shared stories from our work.  This was a great event last year, I was happy to join in this year.  Was paired with a guy from P&G who used to work at Gongos, which made it easy.  The kids asked good questions, and after asking me not to call him out or embarrass him, Nick asked a couple questions of me.  And he was kind enough to suggest I should become a teacher, I made it interesting and he learned something.  The most evident thing about my work, I travel more than I should, and that's evident by having more photos from clinics than my family, I was gone again alot this fall (8 trips total this year.)

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023

A colleague called me two weeks before the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix with an extra ticket.  At $14,000 for the three-day Champions Club pass, I had to take it. It was a three-day weekend with essentially seven strangers.  And one of the most epic weekends ever. (Michael called epic before we even started and he was right.)

We stayed at the Mandalay, my first time there, so it took a couple trips to learn how to travel the length of The Strip, from the monorail to Excalibur, then the tram from MGM Grand down to Harrah's.  I must have walked tens-of-thousands of steps anyways. Directions to the grandstands and suites were not clear, and my new friends were finding their way as well. We circled a little around Wynn on the first day, but by Day 2, getting to the North and South Koval seating, to the Paddock for a tour (overrated), and down to the Circle was familiar territory.  (I had the app handy, which briefly made me the defacto front-man.) Michael, David, Travis, Chris, Syed, Ali and the few spouses were all welcoming and a great travel bunch.

Day 1 was practice, which was cancelled after six minutes when Carlos Sainz hit a manhole cover, wrecking his vehicle.  My breakout group (Travis and Syed) stayed until 2 AM waiting for action, which started after we left.  Not a good look for F1 on the first day. Had a nice chat with Chris, from Wells Fargo, about Auto Finance, and burned some calories as I skipped eating waiting for food at the event, which they pulled at midnight.  The paddock tour sucked, but I did learn how the tires work.

Day 2 was a few calls and then a nap for me, then dinner at Delilah, an amazing exclusive club.  At $250 a plate, and celebrities around us (OBJ at the next table), it's like no place I'd ever been.  I sat in the hairpin turn with David and Travis for the three qualifying races.  A group of girls came by, and I pulled them up in seats next to us, spending Q2 talking to Casey Boonstra, a model and social influencer from Australia. (Tried to connect her with one of the guys, who quickly showed his true colors, pivoting from bullshitter to lame.) David realized online later we're now Insta famous! Found a slice on the walk back to the hotel. Was returning to my room closer to 4 AM now each night.

Day 3 was the race.  I walked down to the Shelby Heritage Museum for a tour in the afternoon, just down from my hotel.  And then took a helicopter tour of the track at 5 PM as they lit the track.  Got some pefect photos of the layout from above, despite being squeezed in the back seat of the copter so a useless couple could make-out in the front seats and ignore the view. With Travis, Mark, and Ali, I was now in the third spot where we had tickets, in North Koval, I was the only one to sit in all three spots, by chance.  Top deck of the suites, with lobster tail and prime rib, I grabbed us a table along the glass, before upgrading us slowly to seats along the track bar, and finally seats in the second row from the track. (I even dragged a barstoool to the trackside... no shame, not for that seat price, I was having a good seat.)  It was an amazingly competitive race, I put $100 on Sainz, who finished 7th following a bad penalty, and the other guys placed theirs as well once I did. Hard to put words to the race, but with a great view down both ends of the straightaway, direct line to the Sphere, and perfect cool weather, there's nothing that could have made it better.  And fireworks.

We had an invitation to the after party at Delilah, which I didn't intend to go, but we all met there after.  More than 200 people lined up down three halls in Wynn to get into the club, and Tony LePenna the owner escorted us past the ropes and security, and into the bar first. I grabbed us a couch and chairs near the bar, to anchor us for the evening.  I'm quite predictable, I provide a center point so no one is lost, and everyone has a good time, including two girls looking for their way, Katie and Charlotte, who offered a good 45 mins of conversation, and a couple phone numbers (which are of no use to me at this age!)  So my reputation as 'the player' (Ha!) lands quickly, and endears me to the group, getting plenty of offers to go clubbing the future (I've always been a good wingman.)

We made a nice thank you video for Tony, I unexpectedly flew home next to Becky who was on the same flight returning from a bike ride in Nevada, and being very short on sleep with sore feet, I come away with memories that were unimaginable just a few days earlier.  And now I have an F1 team going forward, Ferrari is it.

September 2023

I had free tickets to a speed show at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Nick and I got up early on a Saturday to drive up.  On the road to enter the highway, a dozen Ford Mustangs pulls in front of us, and Nick voted we follow them in the opposite direction. They had lead and trail vehicles, looking like they were headed to a show.  We followed them for 90 miles down I75, and finally turned off in Lima, where there is a train display in Lincoln Park that Nick wanted to see. He proceeds to explain everything about this engine to me, from journal bearings to water pumps.  Impressive knowledge. And I learned the trains he builds in G-Mod he names after Greek mythology characters. That's his mother's influence right there. We stopped at Tony's on the way back, little diner in Findlay with a great salad bar.

Summer 2023

I'm sure Nick will look back on his childhood and my yelling voice will be what echos in his ears.  I told him, "Do you ever get annoyed that I never let up?"  He says, "Yes, but you also never let me down."  So that's something.  Most of this month was 'nipplegate' as he has an infected body part that requires ointment and care, don't ask how he injured it. He's in better shape than the beetle that Brandi deep-fried on the back porch, it crawled into her fish fry and she flung it out to the pavement nicely battered.  Fancy meal for the ants.

We had some more heavy winds this month, threats of bad weather.  My father says, when there's risk of a tornado, he stuffs his pockets with cash before he hunkers down in the crawlspace or the hallway.  So we know his body will be worth hunting for! Nick wouldn't know it hit us, he'd be head-down in a 'prop jam' with his buddies online.

The summer months have been uneventful, mostly driving practice, which at this point I'm confident he's ready to drive alone.  That means he's ready to drive to school in the fall, which we practice back and forth to school often. There's a new joint next to school called Sunrise Skillet which Nick likes the food, so that's a motivator. We've got him a good parking spot, back of the lot, by a post, not under a tree, etc. We scouted the lot one morning and noted all the best spots before picking one online.  Very pleased with the one we got. He needed a nudge to get a haircut for the start of school, which you'll see he got at the deadline, photo here from the first day of junior year.

I got to a Mud Hens ballgame with Jay late in the season, there's a photo here of Nick washing his car one evening after we finished mowing Grandpa's lawn, a little outdoor picnic with the HOA neighbors, and I bought a truck (because Nick is going to want his car here soon, and I wanted a truck), those pretty much sum-up the summer.

Jason

Jason's UK Trip

Taking my own space here for my trip to the UK this month.  Following a week in scorching-hot Ft. Worth at the Texas Motor Speedway for a squircle (square steering wheel) clinic, I flew out to the UK for a full work week with my team, a retirement lunch, and to meet the folks we just acquired from C_ and H&P.

Mark Carpenter was an outstanding host for six days, from my travel arrangements and putting me up in The Birch at Selsdon (it's the big sprawling building that looks like a school or a prison in the photos), to my chauffeur on every trip, and wingman on most meetings.  Sunday when I arrived we stopped at the White Lion pub for a warm-up, then had dinner at The Botley Hill Farmhouse, alongside the Sheep Room, out in the 'country' (we were still only a few miles south of London, just outside the M25.)  It was my first time on the other side of the road, and after about a week, I did adjust (but never had the courage to drive.)

Monday was Mick's retirement lunch, which he arrived late and left early.  The book that Claudette made for him from photos and quotes was impressive, including having ChatGPT write the farewell address. Working with the team from the office most of the day was a great experience, felt like I'd always been there, bantering with my dry Brits, and cranking away from Mick's desk.  If I moved in permanently, I'd be welcome.

Tuesday was filled with a trip under the Thames and into town for Ford of Europe meetings, my first time meeting these clients in person. As we travel around, Mark took time to show me many of the suburbs be knew well, including his Catholic grade school which was named Regina Coeli.  I kid you not. So much was about the age of the buildings and the architecture, the oldest church I encountered was erected in AD800.  My hotel room was open to the prairie-like landscape, which was a gold course that was returned to natural growth.  One night only there was a party and music outside my window, which they shut down by 10 PM, otherwise it was a peaceful stay.

Wednesday was back in the office, and in the evening I finally got my fish and chips.  My hotel was a short walk from a little downtown area of South Croydon, so I wandered down a couple times, for a pizza, or to peer into the pub, watch the locals, just take things in.  Even a sandwich from the grocery was interesting, once I got comfortable making purchases in GPB and doing the math in my head.

Thursday we ventured into East London to the C_ offices, where it took an hour to get in by train, so I got a pretty good idea of how the trains run (still got there by train faster we got into the offices once inside the building!)  Productive sessions in general, but mostly 'bullshit bingo' from the top, as Mark referred to it.  We walked back to the train along the river, and past Shakespeare's globe, which I didn't appreciate, but Brandi knew what it was.

Friday was my one day for sightseeing, and despite Mark not walking well, we walked for miles, he was insistent.  We went up in the London Eye to look down on the city from above, and then took the path along the west side, past the House of Commons, along the typical parade routes, to a nice Italian lunch, and finally to Fortnum and Mason where I had a hamper assembled for Brandi and shipped back to the states (tasting all the sparkling tea options while the concierge took care of us; she was stoic and British as she could be, but Mark and I had her snickering a little, we were having too much fun.)  So I experienced the trains, the cars, Heathrow, and the Ferris wheel, pretty close to a full experience.  Even on the drive back to the airport on Saturday Mark drove me past a castle that belonged to Henry VIII, every run was something to see.  Personally and professionally, it was a great trip.

Pics here in the 2023 album.

June 2023

We're watching a WWII documentary in color for a couple nights, of course without Nick as he's burrowed in his room, and he wanders down while the narrator mentions the twelve ships that attacked Pearl Harbor.  Nick casually rattles off all twelve ship names, grabs his snacks, and wanders back up the stairs.  And mumbles a bunch more stuff under his breath that the moderator gets to eventually.  Proving there's something in that head of his.  Like when we're watching the fireworks from our bedroom window and he lists all the chemical elements that make up the different colors of the fireworks.  But he remembers nothing like his laptop, we had a tornado warning one evening and he grabs the laptop before rushing downstairs for shelter.

We got out a little, but Brandi was gone part of the month to PA to see family.  I saw a Tigers game which was almost Cabrera's last home run (he hit two more right at the end of the season), sat alone in the fancy seats on the 1B side for a true double header, played hooky from work. Haven't done that often enough thru the years.  We got up to Greenfield Village for Motor Muster and lunch at Ford's Garage one weekend, where my friend Andrew was showing his '65 Mustang, and we walked around looking at cars for a couple hours, and Nick got to see some steam engines.  And one evening Nick drove him and me up to Atwater Street Tacos in Flat Rock and sat along the river, dined outside for a little fast dinner, change of pace, and some good driving practice.

Brandi and I got our annual strawberry picking in at the last minute, as the season was on-and-off this year with unpredictable weather. It's always worth a couple of pies and some shortcake, and we bumped into Kim and Ellanora there on our way out.

Carrie and the boys came into town and we got one morning with them at the Toledo Zoo. Nick was a good trooper, ran with the Gabe and Ethan (who are both 5-years old), carried them around, chased them, and helped us corral them.  I chased for one minute and that was my entire burst of energy.

Nick got me a Father's Day card with a sperm on the front that says, 'I used to live in your balls... from your fastest swimmer.'  And he signed the card, "At one point in history I was #1 in sports."  Best card ever.

Pics from throughout 2023 here.

 

 

May 2023

School was done early this year, before Memorial Day. Nick aced his exams and finished with mostly A's and a couple B's.  And somehow I never see him study.  Now I know what the other side of this equation feels like.  It's already time to sort out classes for next year. He finished the last day (Brandi was in Atlanta for Seth's HS graduation), and the two of us got mowing and car washing and perparing for a long restful weekend.  Two hours outside and he still manages to fart just at the moment we get into the car, rolling down the wet window and smearing the clean glass; this is now known as 'FartGate'.  He did practice for his most recent piano recital, two pieces, very well done, posted the video here.

I took a short trip around the south for a couple days, two stops for business in Atlanta which included a my first ballgame at Truist Park (with $70 parking), Chattanooga for dinner with friends at the Flying Squirrel, watching Noah win his championship baseball game in a 10-0 mercy in 5 innings in Cincinnati, touring the Biltmore, two GA car museums in the Savoy and Old Car City, a weekend with Cindy around Athens which included two art fairs, rooftop bars, AWS wine tasting (no skydiving), and too much eating, and finally a stop in Pinehurst. It felt good to get out and stretch.

Nick's best line of the month:
Me: "You don't eat enough vegetables."
Nick: "I accidentally ate the paper on the summer sausage, it's made from a tree, technically that's a vegetable."

Photos for the year so far are here.

Jason

April 2023

We took a family outing to Mansfield, OH to visit the Ohio Reformatory, which is a non-profit museum now, the prison where Shawshank was filmed.  We were packing to leave, and Brandi is stuffing medallions of St. Benedict in our pockets so the ghosts don't follow us home.  Apparently sold in bags of 150, she's spread them all over our property.  Came in handy, though, I traded one to the tour guide at the prison for a sneak peak to some bonus areas. The stories of suffering echo throughout the building, it's fascinating and awkward all at once.  And a great pizza at Two Cousins pizza in town.  Check out Brandi's Shawshank pose at the warden's desk... dark, and sweet.

Easter was quiet at home, Nick still gets baskets and eggs filled with cash. And I made a short trip to Catawba where Brad and I took a drive around Lakeside to take in the outdoors before the crowds come for summer. It was a quiet month with Brandi still working until June, so we're staying close to home.

March 2023

Nick says they are 'washing feet' at school.  I've asked what this means in every way I can think of, and considering the school is Catholic, I can assume it's some sort of gesture to others.  But with a school full of smelly teenage boys, it sounds awkward at best.  I concluded Nick wasn't washing anyone's feet, so that's what matters, I suppose.

I asked Nick why he doesn’t unpack the Hot Wheels cars I buy him, and his response was, "Why don't you drive you car?"  Fair point.

Oh, and I turned 50 this month.  The girls came to the house with 50 beers and a very nice card, and we enjoyed the evening just catching up. It was a surprise gathering, even though I had it figured out a month in advance, and had to pick up my cake and dinner. It was the perfect low-key gathering, and I enjoyed it. I treated myself to a pair of hockey games this month, the Red Wings with the guys from work, and the Walleye with Jay. The latter also included some a good band at the Bier Stube, felt good to get out for an evening.

We finally got the scrap boards junked from all the insulation Brandi had delivered.  In 'Operation Woodchuck', we snuck them out under the cover of darkness and dropped them in the construction scrap pile in the next neighborhood over.

There are no photos with Nick in them this month, not even for my birthday.  When the celebration happened, he was nowhere to be found.

February 2023

We made a New Year's resolution to each more German sausages this year, I have no idea why. So far we're failing miserably.  Nick has discovered Granny Smith Apples, though, "Where have you been all my life?"
Nick's best line this month: "Can you smell that? I’m nose deaf."

Nick and I went to downtown Toledo to the Toledo Auto Show again this year, for some cars and a stop at Papalis across the street.  All I got out of it was a dent in the car.  Makes me want to hide all the more.

I was mostly gone for the month with work trips, from the great ice storm in Dallas to the blizzard in Park City. Successful work adventures for F-150 and Land Rover, saw some new places, including my coworker Gwen's farm (chickens!) north of Plano. From sliding thru Dallas on 2" of ice in my RWD Charger, to eating ham sandwiches for two days because everything was closed, then driving every FSPU on the market in Utah, and pushing the car along SR224 when 24" fell in 24 hours.  So there's no photos of Nick this month, I barely saw him, and I'm sure he's fine with that.  So all I got is clinic pictures.

January 2023

Nick's 16th birthday was a simple affair, he got a small cake and cookies from Mema, which be proceeded to light up in a near multi-alarm blaze, melting the wax on a good china plate.  He lives on paper plates, but when he goes for something outrageous like flames and sugar, he grabs the good dishes.

He learned the meaning of BFE this month, so that's something.  And he taught me about tank armor which he'd learned from podcasts, so that's what he's listening to frequently. 

Overall I was traveling for work to CES, where I saw my first concert in 30 years, Def Leppard at The Virgin, and got a demo of Handy.com.  I also did axe throwing for the first time on a short trip to see my California team.  Lots of travel early this year.