Fun and Games Dept

This clip flew by on my Facebook stream a few moments ago. While I know it’s ancient in web users, I still find it hilarious… a good Monday pick-me-up.

My dad always had what we kids would call his “grungy hat”. It was a baseball cap of some sort and he usually had a couple of them rotating in circulation at any given time: he had a vendor hat that he wore at work, he had a piloting hat that he wore in the plane, etc. He rarely wore his hat in the house nor did he wear it at anything that would be beyond a casual gathering. In every photo I have of my dad piloting a plane (including several photos I took from behind him in the Piper J-5A), he is wearing his hat.

At the end of last year I found a hat I really liked. It fits perfectly and comfortably and I feel good when I wear this hat. It’s a digital camo US Army hat that I picked up in our travels. I have been asked a couple of times if I was in the military and I always tell the truth and answer to the negative by saying, “I’ve never had that honor.”

I started flying with my hat at the end of last year. I tend to not wear it, since it doesn’t really fit with what I usually wear as my flying clothes, but it’s always in my carry-on back pack and when I get settled in my seat I take it out and drape it over my left knee. It’s probably kind of silly in a way, but I do this because when my dad and I would fly side by side I’d be in the co-pilot seat and he’d be to my left. The US Army symbology works because dad had the honor of serving in the military in the Reserves.

The flight home from Minneapolis was interesting. The flight attendant, Dawn, asked if I was in the military and I gave her my standard answer. She asked why I had the hat and I told her it was my lucky hat because it reminds me of my dad. I told her that I always fly with it. As we got closer to the airport, the pilot let us know that it was going to be a bumpy landing and Dawn said that we should “remain seated to be safe in the turbulence.” I must admit that I have never heard a flight attendant word an announcement in that way but I was glad that she did. Everyone stayed in their seats.

As we approached runway 15 at SYR the plane was bouncing all over the place. The lavatory door was flying open and closed and I could hear roller boards rolling all over the place in the overhead compartments. As we were coming over Interstate 81 we felt a surge of acceleration, the conditions were too windy and we were going to try again. To the folks in Eastwood, yes, we buzzed you. I haven’t been on a plane that buzzed someone in a long time.

Everyone around me tensed up. A lot. This didn’t bother me at all, I’d been in similar circumstances in a much smaller plane and I know that pilots err to the side of caution. No sweat.

But boy did we bounce around.

The pilot announced that the wind gusts were too high and that indicators were showing bad, we were going to try again. We flew the pattern counter-clockwise, turning base, then final and bumping around like crazy again. Off in the distance we watched another plane successfully land. We headed toward runway 15 and we didn’t get quite over Interstate 81 when they pulled up again.

“We’re going to try again one more time. We have plenty of fuel. If we can’t make it on the third time, we’re going to head to Albany.”

People around me were getting really tense. I remarked, “well that makes sense, Albany is ahead of the front.” I was asked if I was a pilot and I answered to the negative (I need to rectify that) but I added that I had flown since I was a baby and had plenty of experience flying in a private plane, had even co-piloted a few times.

We flew the pattern clockwise this time and in doing so we buzzed downtown Syracuse and the Fairgrounds. It was wicked bumpy, much more so than the last time we went around the pattern. We turned base, turned final and headed toward runway 15.

The third time had to be the charm. It’s the way things work.

As we came in over Interstate 81 I knew this one was going to be the keeper. I had one hand on my hat and instinctively I had pulled my pillow onto my lap, apparently just in case. We landed left wheels first, then front, then right. The passengers applauded, which I usually think is silly but the pilots deserved it. The tension subsided and all was well, though as we taxied to the terminal the plane was still getting blown around pretty good.

I think tonight my hat earned it’s “grungy hat” status. I’ll be carrying it on all my flights and every time I do so, I’ll be flying with my dad.

It’s a Skyway kind of day in Downtown Minneapolis.

So yesterday my FitBit recorded me walking 31,409 steps or 14.4 miles. Since my plan for this weekend in Minneapolis was to do it all on foot (with maybe some mass transit thrown in here and there), I must say that I am quite pleased with how much walking I did yesterday.  My walking was about half and half indoor and outdoor: the weather has been quite nice and the Minneapolis Skyway System is very impressive.

I took a bunch of iPhone shots yesterday. On my way up to the river I stopped and photo bombed a photo that a man and woman were taking at this corner: she was throwing her hat up in the air like Mary Tyler Moore and I was standing next to the traffic light seen in the photo below, staring at the camera like the woman in the background of the Mary Tyler Moore opening. To my left is a TV Land statue of Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat up in the air. update: I messed that up, we are looking at the statue and I’m standing where the background woman was.

The Nicollet Mall  is just starting to see the installation of holiday decorations.

My first panoramic shot with my iPhone, standing on the restored Stone Arch Bridge.

Other snaps along the Mississippi.

There’s all sorts of restoration going on along the river, and it is a wonderful thing to see. I really appreciate when urban planners embrace what they have and make it better when possible, instead of just ripping everything done and starting over from scratch.

A bridge to Nicollet Island. I found these power line towers to be quite interesting in design.

The hotel wifi isn’t as snappy as I would like it to be, so the rest of my photos will have to be posted at a later time. I am really loving this long weekend and I’m off to go exploring again. Perhaps I can hit 15 miles today!

So I’m in Minneapolis on vacation. It is just past lunch time and I have already walked 8 miles today. I’ll probably walk nearly 12 miles when all is said and done by the end of the day today.

I feel magnificent.

I am trying something a little different this weekend with my diet and actually eating my heavier meal at lunch instead of at supper time. I think the change of pace will help me sleep better and I don’t have to worry about nodding off at my desk, since this is vacation and all, so I thought it’d be a good time to give this a try.

I decided to eat lunch at the hotel restaurant. I am staying at the Marquette Hotel in Minneapolis and they have a nice restaurant called “Basil’s”, which overlooks the courtyard of the IDS Center.

As I sat there eating my lunch and enjoying a brief conversation with my server, Jan, I had a sudden “geek” moment. Where I was sitting all of a sudden felt very familiar. This theoretically shouldn’t be possible, because this is my first time eating lunch in Downtown Minneapolis. However, the pop culture geek in me kicked in and I realized that I was eating *here*.

In the opening credits of the later seasons of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, Mary and her then-husband Grant Tinker ate lunch in the same restaurant!

So, while I don’t have a cameraman traveling with me, after being a complete geek I had to do an escalator shot, since I then figured out which escalator Mary was filmed on.

Earlier I quipped on Facebook that I had photo bombed a picture that a husband and wife were snapping where the woman was throwing her hat up in the air like MTM’s famous hat toss. My contribution was standing on the opposite corner looking at the woman, though I was wearing a winter hat and sunglasses instead of a scarf and cat eye glasses (I left them at home.)

I’m such a geek.

And I’m off to Minneapolis on Delta flight 3340. This is my first flight ever as a first-class passenger. This is a weekend of new experiences, and I figured this was a good way to kick it off.

As you can see in the photo above, I took a photo during takeoff, because we can now. At least we can do it legally now. Yay!

I have only one thing definitely planned for this weekend but there’s a lot that I am looking forward to doing in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Today is my only day with a rental car, as I’m going to be one of those mass transit types Friday-Sunday, so I’m going to drive out of the city limits and see what’s in the surrounding area today. One stop will be at American Time and Signal Company, a company that still makes clocks like the school clock/master-slave clock system collection that I have wired throughout the house. I tried to tell the folks at my alma mater that I could have used ATS to help fix the clocks in my elementary school, but they went with a whole new system 12 or 13 years ago. The one clock that was left intact (and that I got from the school) still works beautifully even though it’s nearly 80 years old.

First class is a wonderful experience. I am drinking diet pop out of a real glass. Lovely. Syracuse Airport did not have potable water this morning so there is no coffee or tea for economy class, but they were able to get two pots of coffee from the airport terminal before we left. Coffee and tea for first class. Since I’m enjoying a diet coke perhaps someone in economy can have a cup of coffee.

It is a gorgeous flight thus far. We are currently flying over Hamilton, Ontario. I can see the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area off in the distance. I’m waving to friends on both sides of the border.

Because this is an adventure I elected to wear my Dad’s flight jacket to keep warm in the chilly Minnesota autumn weather this weekend. Dad always liked hearing about our travel adventures, this is a good way to share new experiences with him.

Earl is off to Chicago this weekend to visit Jamie and then next week he is on to Memphis for work. We have another little getaway planned for December (let’s hear it for frequent flyer miles!) and then we’ll be home for the holidays.

Life is good.

So I’m an avid listener of the Michael Smerconish ( smerconish.com ) program on Sirius/XM POTUS 124. I usually end up listening on demand, but driving around the evening afforded me the opportunity to listen to the replay at “6 East” or as I like to think of it, 1800 ET.

One of the interviews during the last hour was with Jim Koch, founder of Sam Adams. They discussed a beer that I have never heard of, Sam Adams Utopias.

From the way they described it, it’s like the Cognac of beer. Michael said that he really felt that it would have been appropriate to enjoy a cigar with this beer.

Very interesting.

I’m always looking for different beers to try and I have to admit that this Sam Adams Utopias has me intrigued. It doesn’t sound like your typical beer experience. I understand that it is quite pricey, as it is produced in very limited quantities each year. I haven’t looked into where to get it yet.

I am curious to hear if anyone has an experience with Sam Adams Utopias. Is it worth the price? Does it still taste like beer?

Jim said that once opened it should still be drinkable five years later, much like a fine wine. I understand that it is best enjoyed a room temperature.

I’d love to have others weigh in on Sam Adams Utopias. I think a trip to Boston might be in order.

Photo used without permission from uncrate.com

So today I had a half day off from work. It’s been a while since I’ve had a day where I didn’t really have something planned so I decided to take the opportunity to go on a little road trip. My destination was the Southern Tier of New York State.

As a certified road geek scholar, I am proud of the fact that I have driven every mile of Interstate highway in Upstate New York. Technically this was true when I awoke this morning, however, a few weeks ago, the New York State Department of Transportation opened up the final six miles of US Route 15 south of Corning, linking the existing freeway in New York to the US 15 Freeway in Pennsylvania. Though I have made trips to the area on several occasions to see how construction was coming along, it wasn’t until today that I had the opportunity to drive the new route. When all is said and done, the US Route 15 designation will be removed and it will be known as Interstate 99. That’s still a ways off (Pennsylvania still has a lot to do), but nevertheless, my curiosity was getting the best of me so I made the trek down to Corning.

The final six miles of this route has some impressive scenery along the way and unfortunately my iPhone didn’t capture the moment as well as I would have liked it to. Once into Pennsylvania, I exited at the first interchange, did a U-turn and came back into the Empire State.

The new US Route 15 freeway doesn’t follow the valley like its predecessor did. If you enbiggen this photo and look closely, the roadway on the very right edge of the photo is the original US 15.

After getting back to Corning, I drove up the very quaint Market Street and then made my way over to Horseheads. From there it was my intention to go to Elmira, but I needed to make a quick stop and snap this photo when my eye caught this…

A fully intact Ames sign for an old Ames Department Store!

As an honest-to-goodness certified geek, it only took a quick glance at the old Ames store to deduce that at one time it was a Hills. (The green Ames sign gives that away too, actually). The sign on the store and the sign outside are still in remarkably good shape, despite the fact that the Ames chain went out of business a decade ago (and things in small town retail haven’t been the same since).

I miss Ames.

Even though it was then getting dark I still made my way to Elmira, where I intended to visit a barbershop I hadn’t been to in a number of years for a haircut and a barbershop shave. Even though it’s only been a week or so since my last barbershop shave (in San Clemente, California), I thought that since I was on an adventure I would indulge myself. I got to the shop, which has huge windows and noticed that it was busy and there was even a guy in the chair getting a shave. When I got to the door, however, the blinds were drawn and the door was locked, they apparently had enough customers to take them well beyond closing time and therefore I would not be able to enjoy this manly luxury.

Oh well, better luck next time.

Since it was after 5 p.m. I figured I should start the trek home, so I made my way along the Southern Tier Expressway to Apalachin (which isn’t pronounced the way you think it’s pronounced, by the way) and went to a favorite diner of ours, the Blue Dolphin.

It was there that I enjoyed dinner for one in the corner of the restaurant that had other guys enjoying a dinner for one. The food was excellent and I had a nice conversation with my waitress, Sara (no “h”), where she told me about her busy day and her new tattoo (it was a word written in what I call “tattoo script” but it was in red and not in black or dark green. For the life of me I can’t remember what the word was but I know that it was spelled correctly.)

From the Blue Dolphin I made my way home. All told, I was on the road for 9 1/2 hours today, and I feel fantastic.

Many don’t understand why I would want to drive all over creation to look at a road, get a shave and eat at a diner, but the truth of the matter is, it’s very, very relaxing to me. This gives me a chance to people watch without people knowing who I am. The change of scenery is distracting enough that I don’t obsess about work or other little stressful things. Adventures like this make me feel much the same as I do when I’m riding my bike on a long-distance ride, I feel free. Honestly, I miss Earl terribly when I’m on these adventures, as he’s really the only one that could come along with me and I’d still enjoy myself to the same capacity, but aside from missing him today, I feel fantastic.

But my chin is still a little rough.

So this weekend has been an on-call weekend for me. After traveling for the past four consecutive weekends, it felt a little odd to spend the weekend at home. We were antsy and we wanted to do something.

The rule of an on-call weekend is that the computer goes along, there must be some sort of cell signal and we don’t go to a movie, because the idea of sitting in the theatre for two consecutive hours is just tempting whatever deity controls the on-call situation. So we decided to go for a ride.

We made our way down to Hamilton, New York, the home of Cornell University. We drove around the village area a bit and then headed out of town in an eastward direction using a road that had no number. I felt adventurous and was happy when we came across a road with this sign.

It has been way too long since Earl and I purposely went off the road in the Jeep. I usually partake in this activity after a hectic day at the office but since we were nowhere near the office, or home for that matter, I had no idea where this road would take us.

And we didn’t care

We ended up navigating about 10 miles of unimproved roads in the woods of Madison County and did so at a good pace, we never went over 15 miles an hour. It’s always better to crawl the Jeep over rocks instead of flying over them. I didn’t know where we’d end up, heck, the only sign of life we saw in the woods was a huge group of turkeys and a couple of hunters. The hunters and the turkeys were headed in opposite directions. We took it slow, we bounced around and we enjoyed the peaceful ambience of the woods.

As the keeper of The Upstate New York Roads website I often get requests for maps containing roads such as the roads we explored in the Jeep yesterday. I have never been able to locate such a map.

Sometimes you just have to get out there and go exploring.