December 2024

We made no plans to travel over the holiday, but that changed at the last minute.
The first week of the Christmas holiday was at home.  Brandi had joined her girlfriends for an evening of making wreaths, and another for making Fall flower arrangements, and I did the holiday gathering for work which doubled as Susie's small retirement party.  So we were active enough, but skipped most other events. One shopping day together to pick over the sales racks at Macy's before it closed here in Toledo, I found a couple nice Nautica shirts for $20 or so which Brandi could wrap for me. And Rebekah stopped by on a visit to her sister Kim's to say hello.  Christmas morning was at home, once Brandi won the tree-lighting battle. And she served kielbasa for the holiday dinner. But generally the month was quiet, and Nick finished the semester with a 4.2-something so he's done all he needed for his grades at the halfway mark of senior year, and made some headway on scholarship applications.

At the last minute we booked a room at Margaritaville Resort in Jacksonville, FL, a suite on the beach. Acting on a couple days' notice, we could tell it would be 70+ degrees and sunny, so no risk of driving for fifteen hours to sit in the cold elsewhere. The hotel was OK, awesome view, clean beach, and the restaurant right in the hotel where we could eat from the balcony and dodge the birds, but likely not worth a return visit.  Brandi watched the seals from the balcony (they were surfers in wetsuits, really), walked the beach twice a day being careful not to touch the jellyfish that washed ashore, and we ate like kings, as usual. It was nice to not think for five days, not work, and do nothing, just have carefree thoughts, like how Brandi would like to be buried at sea (in a ball of flames via pyre, but teetering on a small boat ignited via arrow from shore.) Nick's dining preferences have completely changed (he says that happens every seven years), whereas he never ordered a pile of crab legs, and his one shot at the best burger on the beach he ordered a pile of pasta. We hit as many places within walking distance as we could: Larry's Giant Subs, Beachside Seafood, Brix Taphouse and the best was Salt Life Food Shack. And one hushpuppy not to be named for its own protection.  Overall, it was enough but not too much, and we made the right call.  By the time I update this blog again, Nick will be 18.

And the final post of all 2024 pics is here on flickr.

Toronto Weekend 2024

Nick and I took a guy's weekend to Toronto, first time he's left the country. I've been so exhausted from overworking that we almost didn't get going, but we did, and we crammed a ton into 48 hours.

He was off school early on Thursday, so we headed north, made it over the Ambassador Bridge without too much trouble; I'm accustomed to border security, but when the officer is smoking hot, I can be thrown off my game (Nick even noticed her.) Stopped for dinner at a Jack Astor's in London, meeting my colleague Suneel for a drink and swapping stories of times gone by. We got a room there, and headed on to Toronto Friday morning.

Nice suite at the Residence Inn on Wellington, so we had our own rooms. First stop was the Railroad Museum just a few blocks from us, where I had to contain Nick from giving the tour guide Robert too many lessons on the CN6213 on display.  Nice setup with the roundhouse downtown, but less than I expected. Lunch was at Boston Pizza, and then a nap ensued before we walked down to Scotiabank Arena to see the Red Wings play the Maple Leafs.  It was Hall of Fame weekend, so lots of Original Six recognition around town, and a short HOF ceremony before the game where we got to see Pavel Datsuk get his ring.  If it wasn't for the drunk guy and his dad next to me, it was a perfect game and evening (Wings lost, could keep the puck down.) I was most impressed with how the Leafs put on a show... the Canadian flag passed across the lower bowl during the national anthem, gave me chills. We had suite access, but wasn't really all that impressive.  Although I've never had access to better-tasting Molson, I indulged at every stop.  On the way back from the game, Nick had his first Fat Bastard burrito. Tried to show him the best of Toronto.

Saturday morning the town was getting busier, so we arrived early at the Hockey Hall of Fame, walked around about two hours, and he was patient while I read every plaque about Detroit I could find.  Nick took a nap in the theatre to wait me out, and even then when I went to get him and was finished, there was a Mike Vernon tribute video playing, and I had to watch. Museum is another bucket list item, and did not disappoint. Of course, it's all about touching Lord Stanley's Cup, and now I have.

Finished with a photo out front of the Union Station, and epic burgers at the famous Loose Moose then we we headed for home, with of course a short stop to load up on Canadian chocolate before we crossed the border.

Photos here.

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Fall 2024

By the numbers: Three days of clothes smelling like gasoline fumes, six-drinks-a-day limit in the VIP lounge, 800 classic vehicles, eight Uber drivers, $4.25 million for Sammy Hagar's 2015 LaFerrari, 20 hours of live auction, and one vehicle purchase.  This was on my bucket list for many years, a trip to the vehicle auction, as-seen-on-TV, to experience the auction firsthand. I went with my co-worker Dan, all-in with unlimited access, running along the staging lanes and up onto the block, free-reign to walk right up onto the block and bump into Mike Joy (would have been nice to shut William Shatner up) and pretty freaking cool.

This was the first time Barrett-Jackson held a Fall event in Scottsdale, so about half the size of the January auction, but fewer attendees, so perfect for me.  Each morning was walking the vehicles inside the building and tents, talking to various exhibitors which of course were cars and trucks (many of then custom builders), then into our spot in the VIP tent at the high-top table facing the staging lanes by noon, for a full day of unlimited food, running out to the lanes for vehicles I wanted to hop in or crawl under, and then a little walking of the grounds to see what sold the previous day.  There was a block tour, which lasted all of 90 seconds, hosted by two uninterested twenty-somethings, but it didn't ruin the weekend one bit.  And a side stop to watch the Tigers' season end on the big screens at the nearby Draft Kings sportsbook.

We saw a fleet of Indy Pace Cars from Monte Carlos to Corvettes which, not road legal, pretty awesome considering we own one already. A 1976 Civic that would have been perfect for teaching someone to drive a manual. A 1967 Marina Blue Corvette 427 that was best of the show for me, followed closely by a silver 1969 Camaro RS Z28 302. The Batmobile. A Daytona Yellow 1968 Corvette 427 hardtop convertible. And too many more to mention.  I bought a 1978 Corvette... a 1:18 scale model to complete my collection really, as I have a 1:18 scale for every vehicle I've owned in the past 30 years, but needed a red 1977 to complete the set, and this was as close as I've ever found. I listened alot and learned from other bidders, so if I return, I know what to do.

College Visit #6 - SVSU

Still a couple more visits, we took Nick the farthest north he's been into Michigan to Saginaw Valley State University. He had a free day from school since underclassmen were testing, so we used it for a campus visit. Beautiful campus on a perfect fall afternoon, their Engineering facility was a little smaller than others but sufficient, and dormitories with privacy were really the differentiator. (Of course they sell the campus with their dining options, which admittedly were impressive.) It's a smaller school of roughly 7,500 students, and a little newer, est. 1963, so nicer facilities in some respects. You can walk the entire campus from indoor walkways, which is nice in the winter. Their transfer program is more transparent, which helps with us living so close to MCCC. Ended with what felt like a hard sales push, but Nick and I feel it's worth consideration, a top-three pick so far.

We seem to be far along the application process now, having submitted applications to two schools, and already receiving an acceptance letter from WMU. We'll go into the winter still maneuvering all of the financial websites, but the picture is getting clearer, and Nick is clearly excited by the possibilities. In all, we've got lots of good options.

Also a first for both Brandi and Nick, we had lunch in Frankenmuth, to experience the famous chicken dinner. It did not disappoint. Then a nice walk outdoors for chocolate and cheese, and a long ride home.

A few pics here.

Summer 2024

I do appreciate that Nick seems unphased by peer pressure. His mother called him a loser for not going to Krepp's Apple Orchard with us, and he just shrugged it off with an 'OK' and wandered back up to his laptop. It's AI that gets him all worked up, just the mention of an AI tool and he starts cursing, which isn't good because it's going to be a part of his future, there's no avoiding it. If he can just figure out his left from his right, that will help.

We filled the summer with something nearly every weekend:
I saw some great classics at the Radwood car show at Hart Plaza one weekend with Donny, and a stop at Grandma Bob's pizza.
Railroad Camp wasn't what we expected, outdoors in the rain and the cold, so Nick cozied up with his mother at the Holiday Inn up the road. So much for roughing it.
Nick and I stopped into the Flags/Veteran's Car Show in Sylvania for a second year, and walked the show with Kim. The vehicles are getting familiar now from around the area.  Nick parked his Cavalier inside the show, next to a Boss 302. The photo is next to Kim's Hummer H1 with her and Eleannora.
We applied the blacktop sealer onto Grandpa's driveway, and got the pool covered with less than five minutes remaining in the summer (we pulled the cover and the leaves fell minutes later.)

Nick has a good parking spot in the SFS lot after doing our homework last year, he drives in about 3-4 days a week.
And I enjoyed a couple of afternoons with my office colleagues, one at Alan's house where I played in the sandbox with the kids, and the Tigers Game to watch Tarik Skubal pitch, one of the few losses for the team which ran off a 31-11 record to end the season, their best ball in a decade.

Nick and I are trying to get back into a workout routine, and started back to the YMCA at least one evening a week.  We're picking up my old routine again, although he runs while I swim.  Brandi has been walking, but pinched her shoulder or arm, and complained she now that she, 'can't pitch out of the dog pen.'

Pics here.