tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1686332483363221072024-02-20T10:17:54.753-08:00The Sexsonsdave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-15338788321857158652008-07-12T21:31:00.000-07:002008-07-12T21:34:02.807-07:00THANK YOU!!!Good Evening Everyone!<div>I just want to thank all of you who have been reading the blog. It turns out there were many more who were checking in than I realized. I tried to put video and slideshows on this, and was thwarted. I'll try again, or I will open up an account on another site.</div><div>Thanks again,</div><div>Dave</div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-29965533622537516352008-07-08T05:59:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:30.871-08:00July 6th...Coming Home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmADEFkZbT0Zrgn1eLjZtQoFbXH3LHEoLr4SYI6ypIOj-zBGqqVyoaZzGs-0-fjEcRzXcP9Xp3vgUsMYi6cQnSLXl35TN0AuQwjUPf0Yy4xeYZwV8vnVvq_vsCljb0rIqmztjt_-rzwtY/s1600-h/IMG_9153.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmADEFkZbT0Zrgn1eLjZtQoFbXH3LHEoLr4SYI6ypIOj-zBGqqVyoaZzGs-0-fjEcRzXcP9Xp3vgUsMYi6cQnSLXl35TN0AuQwjUPf0Yy4xeYZwV8vnVvq_vsCljb0rIqmztjt_-rzwtY/s320/IMG_9153.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220744349028842242" /></a><br />What a long strange, er, awesome, whirlwindy trip it has been! This was our final day of vacation, and I thought we were all ready to get home. Joe had decided a few days earlier that he was ready to get home to see the extended family. We all were, but seeing my friends staved off that feeling for Lou and me. Getting to see the Lofton's (their kids) staved off the feelings for my kids. So oddly, when we got up on Sunday, the kids wanted to do more things and not head home. Lou and I, though, had the singular goal of getting home. <div>Since we had been running late EVEY SINGLE DAY (getting up around 9 or 9:30 and getting to bed after 10 pm every night), we decided to get a late check out. The kids and I got up for the free breakfast at 9:30 (it was the worst breakfast I had ever had at Homewood Suites). We then went back to the room and lazed around until 12:45, at which time we frantically threw our stuff together and got out of Dodge.</div><div>Lunch was at <a href="http://braums.com/">Braum's</a>. For those of you on the West Coast, Braum's is a regional dairy that also has a grill and a small market in each store. They are in Texas, OK, Kansas, the western part of MO, and the extreme eastern part of NM (I think). The cherry limeades are the best, and the ice cream is top-notch (although the ice cream we had from Toft's in Sandusky, OH, was better). We finally got on the road at 2pm, and a rendezvous with our good friends the Gubler's was the first priority. They were driving to Norman, OK, from La Quinta for a robotics tourney (five days in Norman, OK...yipee!) and we had planned to be passing them somewhere between Santa Rosa and Tucumcari, NM. Well, "the best laid plans of mice and men" as they say. The rendezvous didn't occur because the Gublers discovered the beauty and mysticism that are Santa Fe and Taos, NM, and were loathe to get back to the interstate. That's good, though, because it allowed us to keep the speedometer pinned and press on.<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJmg2R8uRCTINM197euX0g0lTl5ryuWOVl5pe4DUc9EbTLff8zZcAMYnxka0kzXDA0f11ThBs3pqWOG_nIeHMJuzVj1sqzoCEDS63hYThnPpys8qPQf_Uz1S6VtCLbiu3XIq9IrztFSNm/s320/IMG_9168.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220744346978551298" /></div><div>We made a stop in Albuquerque for gas, but did not go to UNM because we saw no signs for it on the interstate (Lou didn't want to stop, so that also added into the equation). <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqinUkrHzqASMEGGXgl_mkub3CoG40G8RbEVZXL-rlQD1ys8tzQibOWfDmRvCccRe1VdRy12bhwX24AieeQ_ryhbDmXks2rjBxDeiL2JpGS9ivSae4iHhawj66p2mGRl_Xm3zY96YvPUSE/s320/IMG_9166.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220744361954527362" /></div><div>We got dinner in Winslow, AZ at the Long John Silver's/Taco Bell combo. BIG MISTAKE!!! What was supposed to be just a quick stop turned into a 25 minute fiasco, with them deleting our order twice. If we only had gone through the drive thru (but the restrooms were callin'). We got back on the road and made it to Flagstaff for another fill up. Lou started driving just past Flagstaff and drove until just past Phoenix. I drove on into the night, needing to pound <a href="http://justborn.com/">Mike and Ikes</a>, <a href="http://www.skittles.com/">Skittles</a>, and <a href="http://justborn.com/">Hot Tamales </a>to keep my ju-ju going. When we hit Blythe (the border of CA) I needed to stop at Mickey D's for some Hi-C (no caffeine all trip!). That, and listening to Eddie Izzard and old school rap on my Ipod, (and of course, God more that all the other things put together) got us into The Valley around 2:40 in the AM. We finally pulled into the driveway at 2:50AM. Everyone basically stumbled into bed and slept HARD.</div><div>We are very thankful to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit for protecting us on our journey. We are also very thankful to them for allowing us to have jobs that give us enough money to do these trips every year. We are also thankful to have all of the unique and special experiences on the road with our friends. And finally, Lou and I are thankful that the kids get along so well with each other and that they still love doing these trips.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I am going to keep blogging on this site about what our family is doing. I am going to tweak this site a bit and try to put on slideshow and video links. I am also going to try to put on some advertising links. Finally, I am going to begin another blog that will be more of a political, fantasy football, whatever blog. I'll put a link to that so you may click there if you like.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">For those of you who read this blog everyday, a few times, or even once, I really thank you. Everyone who knows me knows I love talking about myself, but this still got tedious and time consuming! I do hope you have enjoyed learning of our journey and the places we visited. If you have any questions about our trip, comments, or would like to pick my brain about trips that you want to take to see if I might have any ideas, please email me or post a comment on this site, and I'll respond. I'd love to help anyone plan any vacations for themselves or their family.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">-Dave</span><br /></span></span><div><br /></div></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-51487699396694312372008-07-07T16:57:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:32.666-08:00July 5th, THE BABBITS and Oklahoma<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9g2zIS2j0Kt3na6BG1kJfF2PEBlk6VzN3OiO5c2fwR_1xJkSvarktyuEaV9VBxxz3z3fPKOmfyV7vv3k_yPmKTwuzEMkrc0-FMpoHyuvqM0wsGcP1i08P2Bvh2-PiQfhyUERb1Vyn97n/s1600-h/IMG_9014.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9g2zIS2j0Kt3na6BG1kJfF2PEBlk6VzN3OiO5c2fwR_1xJkSvarktyuEaV9VBxxz3z3fPKOmfyV7vv3k_yPmKTwuzEMkrc0-FMpoHyuvqM0wsGcP1i08P2Bvh2-PiQfhyUERb1Vyn97n/s320/IMG_9014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220540036369421858" /></a><br />Good Afternoon!<div>July 5th was another day of walking down memory lane for me. We got up after a HORRID night sleep in our Cloud-Nine Hampton Inn beds. The room was freeeezing when we returned from the Loftons, so Lou turned the A/C to vent. Since Lou is a born and bred native of SoCal, she didn't know that when you just vent a room in humid climes, you are just asking for trouble. Obviously, the story ends with me waking up in a ball of sweat around 5 in the morning and turning the A/C on. </div><div>The day offered plenty of enjoyment, though, as we met Ron and Judy Babbit for breakfast. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRthLrLzDwvBX91MHlcQ4qDJmEpHPUVadtoYIuWUnrX_64oHuPyj6PcNvtql_6r381TuKxW-0In6VNqoXR_S76zlk3tx6JIF3PmsUFHZGqycltUe4iQOe71OgZZ8H_tQRQRsIWbYyscquH/s320/IMG_8992.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220540024106923042" /></div><div>Ron was the best youth minister I EVER had. And yes, I've had many (5 churches from 7th-12th grades). There is another youth minister named <a href="http://greentopher.blogspot.com/">Chris Gr</a><a href="http://greentopher.blogspot.com/">een</a> that I helped out when I was in college who was a terrific mentor to me. But now I'm off topic... </div><div>So we got to break some bread with Ron and Judy. They met us at <a href="http://www.crackerbarrel.com/">Cracker Barrel</a> in Tulsa. The food was good, but the time spent with the Babbits was so much more valuable (even though Ron picked up the check!).</div><div>Ron has always had a love for the ministry. He also works well with people from impoverished backgrounds. He now runs the <a href="http://www.contactchurch.net/">Contact Church of Christ</a> in the inner city area of Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is so much that Ron and Judy do with the people that are underprivileged in northeastern OK including providing food, shelter, furniture, and housing to those who are desperate need. If you want more info please click on their names and you will be taken to the link for their ministry.</div><div>Wow! The love that we got to share with important people from my past was really a blessing for us at the tail end of this vacation. I am truly thankful to have had those opportunities.</div><div>We left Ron and Judy for the mall and the <a href="http://www.eskimojoes.com/">Eskimo Joe's</a> clothing store and dropped a pretty penny there on some Joe's clothes and other stuff. We then went to <a href="http://www.chickasha.org/">Chickasha</a> and drove around the town where I lived during my 10th grade year.</div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwbQ-mOa2HWC0QSt8mfU1srRP5ufyYJjvhMaGCj0sS1tCjFudU3EyKgBYVynT2tks8uRq2HRe0nii_Xg1sNj2ejJ39zhnHWc_OY28gXi28GdqacHI1aO65VIsSf516MMWgx9PUl0neatt/s320/IMG_9071.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220748971208038962" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86m85YQlGK8ERNggg9q7XPpD7xIqARr9-f19TWN89T5xiosaK1auBNnT7BlrK2W8BMHhmutPp0CrYgVeoPyTwyVZXFcLSMS0A0r4SEPl7JMgU0A5dDOXXlgTLUeYZ1KLfBw_dMBLyrJ2f/s320/IMG_9009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220540028566560082" /></div><div>Some of Chickasha still looked good, but unfortunately, most of the houses in my old neighborhood had fallen into disrepair. This stop was very important because with it, my kids finally got to see all of the houses I had lived in from 4 years old until college (12). We also got to see my grandparent's old house. The new owner of the house was outside and started talking to us. She even apologized to us for not letting us in her house (she was having a big family reunion at the time)! She let us know that if we came by another time, we could come into the house and take a tour. That is the Chickasha I had remembered!</div><div>My mom's farm was the next item on the list. We made our way to the tiny town of Alex (pronounced Eh-lek), about 15 miles away from Chickasha. </div><div>The kids finally got to see the farm where my mom grew up. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZJ53K-BRM-lcJBvH2K56KGonkZGj7hx33jgt9zah9t3hE8gRZgbAd8ozveCtIqCxVEZuum1xOe1Q5WKESlL37Js9uFA_dh4CS3i7s2TbE6mH9iLAHaQJb9-H-sZdtvB429RtZvABT_2S/s320/IMG_9035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220540040458601042" /> I have included some of the photos taken on her farm. </div><div> </div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EY06vlUygo7Fueh2tcvWfNYKwAbt6yUSr-nvjls-NZXLn_X2JT6ffEv0cBH0ldOO_E3UjrztxRMdRK8bimpPcp5vidI4-SmnC439uSmhZXZIQHP2TPb85ioq7PuJjHL7We_L0oXuHBL4/s320/IMG_9047.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220540044214186578" /></div><div>We drove around Alex next. </div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lgKBpaJGtTXPhEvRfWiha3irN3BxYWN518_aiy4ytzWZ5JGkgZunxknvEbz-jezwlWfQiX6wQDsw1Yz0yfrQhzxZr2oLz8zhAuA69TqZ_nsMSnVQDaCREzZgVsN-vOCSUK78DpLLTBCt/s320/IMG_9024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220748963480292706" />That little town seemed to be in pretty bad shape with a lot of abandonded buildings. I don't know why I needed to include that, I just did. </div><div>After Alex, we drove through many small towns across Oklahoma. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvAoH6ZfnD4b9OdKkrDEVfNTiLXQUS02phyGhp-IUi7i2KeQU-9CpWw3ibT2-icvcRXjNIdrcNLMaQYIGyScIRrOG2TH0WwRctzK-FlcWxjwqXAazoT7RbSp3nTFuFZDcyr445OaF_4tP/s320/IMG_9094.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220748979743557906" /></div><div>We stayed away from the interstate in order to give the real look and feel of Oklahoma to the kids and Lou. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ie1ZRK87g1MAG456i6MiEMnG5-yJ_mveJPivBQDPdit7eOVwV7Os8YbM1PrRPJQ7HxTIAsNiwzcPUHsw3rcxiSm8oP-Rw0fJfVTssSFkzDdsLEqGvdkkgiI56fq-QQffAgaTsp5NgfsZ/s320/IMG_9098.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220749109123878818" /></div><div>The drive was lovely and interesting. It was a really important experience for them. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-r5_CUf8v2ykcWaHOvJWq7BV3-bYLnRvZbYNj43AQNN_Y7wVATHdVI8uZE4oVmSB0BcCPdYb78iGUBvVu5xfDHvKDfKhCCZsLCN4C7O9osUi8IuyNpIS1mkSo-ZsGwJdL4NGy3HHCqr0/s320/IMG_9104.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220749122816897634" /></div><div>We arived in Amarillo about 3 1/2 hours later checked into the Homewood Suites. I was jonesing for some <a href="http://www.tacobueno.com/">Taco Bueno</a>, so Lou and I got some and brought it back to the room. That food was definitely not as good as I'd remembered. 'Nuff said.</div><div>We were all ready for a good night's sleep, which we needed because the next day was our final ay on the road...</div><div>-Dave </div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-86713614415677495732008-07-07T13:39:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:33.324-08:00July 4th...On the Road!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvkU0sVonA7hX2DQL1XVqjgA2nSGrdThG3ucqaHJ7le8IJP5BHwQx-AoJidME4Is-VCTgDSPdOVAn05S0Q7MKba9laRB9Ur27TifMJPxY3wvkO-bNzcZeoTKt-TQ7kwoVcbuOw-3ubNlu/s1600-h/IMG_8996.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvkU0sVonA7hX2DQL1XVqjgA2nSGrdThG3ucqaHJ7le8IJP5BHwQx-AoJidME4Is-VCTgDSPdOVAn05S0Q7MKba9laRB9Ur27TifMJPxY3wvkO-bNzcZeoTKt-TQ7kwoVcbuOw-3ubNlu/s320/IMG_8996.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220411975817758834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtrC5gZ2SU3gDQZ5zFv1pbzYfZMdKlmRGv1gHKT6kvDIqmvjqHORrGg_aS-_RBUpgalrlH9JP_cC6GaOG1BZBfUr330534f3m9DnDSDYHOslOb-ZMj4rCcXxy3JaunorjDJKG4GHe8nGl/s1600-h/IMG_8999.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtrC5gZ2SU3gDQZ5zFv1pbzYfZMdKlmRGv1gHKT6kvDIqmvjqHORrGg_aS-_RBUpgalrlH9JP_cC6GaOG1BZBfUr330534f3m9DnDSDYHOslOb-ZMj4rCcXxy3JaunorjDJKG4GHe8nGl/s320/IMG_8999.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220411979174413714" /></a><br />We left the Friendly Confines of Franklin, TN, and headed for Broken Arrow, OK.<div>Mrs. Stallwood made us breakfast, of course, and we were on our way at 8:22am. </div><div>Our first stop was Memphis, TN, and <a href="http://www.memphisbarbecue.com/">Neely's Barbeque</a>. These are the same Neely's (Pat and Gina) who have their own show, "<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ny">Down Ho</a><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ny">me With the Neely's</a>" on the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/">Food Network</a>. We visited the Neely's restaurant two years ago because we were not able to get into the "number one rated bbq restaurant in Memphis, Rendezvous Ribs," as it was Monday, and they are closed on Monday. Anyway, two years ago we "discovered" Neely's. It is, in our opinion, the BEST BARBEQUE IN THE WORLD! We have eaten BBQ all over...KC (gross), Nashville (good), California (good), Texas (good), Colorado (okay), even Arizona (okay). This was definitely the best ever!!! The first time we visited Neely's, Mr. Neely (Pat) came out of his office as we were leaving and started talking to us about his history in the food biz. He told us about how Al Roker gave him his first break, how difficult it is to prepare food for a photo shoot like the Today Show, how he got his recipes, and even how much he had just spent on his new A/C unit! He treated us like he had known us for years. Very cool. Needless to say, we became instant fans and loyalists to him and his food. Really quickly, his restaurant is a small yellow windowless building in Memphis's "historical district," just a stone's throw from the Lorraine Motel and the <a href="http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/">National Civil Rights Museum</a>. Also, two years ago, there were only three servers working the floor (now there are eight), and back then we were one of only two white families in the restaurant, while this time there were only two African-American families in the restaurant. So the show has definitely been a success for their business.</div><div>Now back to the food. We got there at 11:30 am and put on the food bag! We ordered their barbeque pulled pork nachos, a sampler platter, a full slab or pork ribs for Joe and barbeque spaghetti for Alison. The food was tremendous! I think the barbeque pulled pork nachos is still the best thing they serve. The pitiful thing was that we were not able to even eat half of the food that we bought, so we got the rest to go. It was great because Alison was finally able to experience this restaurant (two years ago we flew her back to SoCal for church camp). I know I an repeating myself, but this food was just as good as we had remembered! No. Doubt. About. It.</div><div>We hit the road at 12:10pm and headed west. Arkansas was quick and painless. Lou drove through most of the state and I got a 2 1/2 hour nap. We switched a little before OK and I drove us into <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.brokenarrowok.gov">Broken Arrow, OK</a> to shoot fireworks with old friends.</div><div>We spent the evening lighting fireworks with Richard and Denise Lofton, and their three kids, Joshua, Ryan, and Danielle. </div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEazVP5rE4JysDFEsKPp2u5WHJ6igtUCBTA0bvpx9CcfqOCwaCJwANTnLQEXaHHY8foSVnjnGBFvFznfFlCfQpy50_Pr_eEMZx8K6G2GtIItwBdEKIs-vL1KCKWqAvd1Ptn-kEl-OSPn1/s320/IMG_9001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220411990357546642" />The time spent with them was fantastic. Richard was my best friend when I lived in Stillwater. He and I hung out together a lot and we played on the same intramural league basketball team. Richard was also in our wedding. I really love this guy because we are like two peas in a pod.</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGMEPp2KRPbsbqPPFgbAyL2BigEYUydUSZOGpxSvqU-PXgmEc5_RXlXGkSX5UtATIrKfsW2-pDVTowf-CVaC1zhIjho43w06SJ801layhFCLAcJfSlNyY_hiILdv-ZKay53GEe1ARI7sF/s320/IMG_8993.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220411991663627474" /> All of the kids really hit it off. We shot fireworks well into the night (Richard had warned me that Broken Arrow is like a war zone for the 4th of July, and he was right. He added to the War Zone by buying a ton o' fireworks and letting the kids shoot them off.), had ice cream, and watched the kids play Wii while we talked. Denise and Richard are great people. Once again, we were super blessed to spend time with this family.</div><div>It was a happy Fourth of July for all.</div><div>-Dave </div><div><br /></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-82121971676793931892008-07-07T11:39:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:34.207-08:00July 3rd<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqoTK0j75w9qb7N9g6NcRkOzL7anP6IY5ZAr-nx-AqL0SufIUaUpkOU46-GJ2C8lSgSrNWp18X91SczsFAN4hk7FrfzfcyZbYRbPCEMY3CddfMvfYmyE2RDask3JQe7I4tmxcbJUpFiE-/s1600-h/IMG_8988.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqoTK0j75w9qb7N9g6NcRkOzL7anP6IY5ZAr-nx-AqL0SufIUaUpkOU46-GJ2C8lSgSrNWp18X91SczsFAN4hk7FrfzfcyZbYRbPCEMY3CddfMvfYmyE2RDask3JQe7I4tmxcbJUpFiE-/s320/IMG_8988.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220358401052133314" /></a><br />Good Morning!<div>July 3rd was a day that we spent in Tennessee with Todd and his mom. We were originally going to leave Franklin and head to Memphis, then ending up in Broken Arrow, but Mrs. Stallwood and Todd were showing us such a good time, and argued effectively for us to spend another night in Franklin, so we did. </div><div>The day was spent relaxing around the house. Lou spent the time visiting with Mrs. Stallwood. I visited with her too, and also tended to the kids when they needed help (but they were doing a great job entertaining themselves with Sudoku and workbooks). Lou, Alison, and Mrs. Stallwood went to a barbeque and had a little run in with the help. The gist of the story goes as follows: They were waiting in line for a while (about five minutes) and Mrs. Stallwood was getting hotter by the minute. When they pulled up to the window, she began complaining that they were melting in the car (btw, Lou said the Jaguar that they were in was VERY comfortable) and wondered what was taking the lady in front of them so long. The young man replied, "I don't know ma'am, I think it's retard day."</div><div>Mrs. Stallwood replied, "That's what I was thinking. Or maybe it's just a Tennessee thing!"</div><div>Very funny situation!</div><div>Anywho, we went to Todd's<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJalEYS4Gn0pk5Xd6Nnyp2FlpP4kl2CSIY2eEk9rZr7wn_7gcwBNrTyhiLQZKNmpymPBFrmikSC_yQxJY5J5GYB07HYt9woeDy9okFuHsRlAVSXeYpR8JqXqMggpVNfHGdc4RPuReAzny2/s320/IMG_8916.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220358414054584418" /> </div><div>that evening to fish, <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ioxaiqr2ur0yHdxvDC79xporuaLzqG1tPdoXGrCIm6FI3SJuvmwKWidR2bAanKSiZ5Sfwb51T9E0diA2ihfVz6XIEObdImky0Ne9mbNzADOx-7EaDZyUtsVHNoEeKGKYB4iNdkm53Qx6/s320/IMG_8979.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220358420646316242" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusxHI4yUW8MMW3_IK64ziXkcnhWo2GVMpY_d08nFGSOrSeP-dw3O9B7QMsEHHJNAcaovwwiv0WE600dq_A9l4ZstKZdpl8tCwnrTBYvUaEEQrK83gH8xWuwY1HFf-X0K6VEm7_bym-X0Y/s320/IMG_8918.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220358404606370722" />eat, shoot of fireworks, and watch a video that Todd and I made when we went to Eau Claire, Wisconsin as roadies for Dwight Yoakam (Todd's cousin) in the summer of 1992.<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Heteex69qk_emYVZ908-1nfVECeTF7Vt_GvsFdzPL3rHydq3lpqep1RhBaCT4B1zS4FiKbCi7XYvZaLq-hKRj6SwCgSMfi_is8AcYeLz5jhb4wmFnmULZkoe3L_oXD3YC5kq4iGdTB61/s320/IMG_8963.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220358426551354866" /></div><div>The kids had SUCH A GREAT TIME FISHING!!! (I was yelling when I wrote that.) We were using worms and chicken livers as bait. The kids did all of the baiting themselves. They each caught two fish (bluegill). Joe was able to unhook three of them himself. We threw back all of the fish. Alison became a true fisherman that evening. She was so upset because two catfish "at least THIS BIG" nibbled her bait off of the hook without getting hooked.</div><div>After dinner, we shot off some fireworks with Todd, then we roasted marshmallows and had s'mores.</div><div>The night was great, and we were sad about leaving when 11 pm rolled around, but we had to head back to Mrs. Stallwood's to get our last night's sleep before pressing on.</div><div>This time in Tennessee visiting old friends was truly a blessing from God. Todd was a terrific host!</div><div>-Dave</div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-76237932502343074632008-07-06T09:45:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:36.035-08:00July 2nd<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Sw3JlXWTzZuTfu2YVbBvAEFIBiddIVU6EYo4fojAVy78_c7adqkyIqZ8IDEICcgQECJSfJsqIG27eoFMuUipGIMCALVWAnEKmjYlnnsDa_upFll7wGHhkWX5JxEsHFccJERZMQeslu91/s1600-h/IMG_8835.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Sw3JlXWTzZuTfu2YVbBvAEFIBiddIVU6EYo4fojAVy78_c7adqkyIqZ8IDEICcgQECJSfJsqIG27eoFMuUipGIMCALVWAnEKmjYlnnsDa_upFll7wGHhkWX5JxEsHFccJERZMQeslu91/s200/IMG_8835.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219957444813736226" /></a><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Tj7PQX0oTABGlfFylialp2i-2knao2CmEdflRvYN_VQLyzlbnijeAvor6vMEi1jn8dHiCvaDQzwCIyfMiDBsEyYXihvHCtRq2FgvXQRHfdoPjgLZkQldgpCFtPoqVs3f96LZ0Bj_u0dv/s200/IMG_8899.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220334302480145378" /><br />Catchy Title, huh? I'm thinkin' of copyrighting it. We'll see...<div>Here we gooooooooo...</div><div>July 2nd began with me getting the car's oil changed. I know this isn't exciting, but I'm just letting you in what a three-week vacation involves. We took off with Todd to get the local flavor of Franklin. First, we went to a local diner called, "Dotsuns." This was a giant spoonful o' the south! It was a greasy spoon, to say the least. As we walked in, the old-timers eyed us for a while. They knew, oh yes, they knew. </div><div>Our waitress was one giant delightful cliche. She started in on us using the words "honey," "sugar," "sweetie," and "baby" in every sentence. The service was excellent. She also told us some of her personal stories throughout dinner. The food was good. Very "down home." Oh, and the kids got their first taste of grits there. As a matter of fact, when Alison saw the word, "grits," on the menu, she asked me, "Daddy, what's a grit?" NO LIE! Just like Joe Pesci in "My Cousin Vinnie."</div><div>After breakfast, we went to a historical place called the <a href="http://www.carterhouse1864.com/">Carter House</a>. This was a very interesting and informative stop. The Battle of Franklin, which took place at the Carter House and Plantation, was the "beginning of the end" for the Confederacy, according to the story there. The museum in the house was distinctly Southern-slanted, but it did give respect to the North. The movie was similar in style. the use of the word, "Yankee," was spoken with great disdain, while the term, "Rebel," was a source of pride. The movie was good, and accurately portrayed the haughtiness of Confederate General Bragg that led to the downfall of his troops, the western opportunities for the South, and ultimately, the War. </div><div>After that, we walked around the grounds and looked at some of the bullet and mortar holes that were in the walls of the buildings.</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpWN8aFRUhvKMoRuZaeO5AlEMDi9E6VXT2omM-ENBm6Mt4LePyl-g3mKEda9fxiEPl5Ahyphenhyphen87Ks4n5BP9ZBGie6fewE_8yxC5_QNIpnVSqi3ArbNBPH-hSF5NgE4b3Ncy8zLOVuPehiAth/s200/IMG_8829.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219957437420809986" /></div><div>Following the Carter House, we drove around the southern side of Nashville. We visited <a href="http://belmont.edu/">Belmont University</a> (home of one of the presidential debates this year) <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOHpfGfVvCMFQZ86XugzQECji2uFTiL4zWjpzx6TXFx3gtHl2E9MIIg4K23yDAZyoy1RMQ-QDORvw6uNSEoP74yI9JDlzcyt_alYkk1Mb1shUoHGwO4Hg15KYy9_zFsM2EeWBQ73o7nuY/s200/IMG_8855.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219957457851344386" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDhQhb16Y1FKOY0bmG8jB4zAKulNYlQdCUcWmre7-4G_ItyEwSlLG0LbiKWd0SEzCTXV6axpfOXYK-TJs1PnxP0CI7PncidjsKc0cIqkxS0R36tWef_9enjIf9XvOqvxO8Gsl7VyIwjMx/s200/IMG_8838.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219957451308665842" /></div><div>and it's rival, <a href="http://lipscomb.edu/">Lipscomb University</a> (considered a "liberal" Church of Christ school---Anyone heard of <a href="http://pepperdine.edu/">Pepperdine???</a>).<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfMmHAs-fx8U7JKoWyrmoGGItqOx7Br57W2mC0UUU7lKcG_V0scHlZSo64x_-GkehwHl4xuMC-9e-IVmWN9xsWv5GOict4X_sm0LcOcR2DEX-i59pvCJaLaR1KflQLmEDjE5BfAcKjIzC/s200/IMG_8859.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219957464557616706" /></div><div>Then we toured the mansions and estates in the area. </div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukQBiV0aBUHhdSwQvKjJT917CbcsHmIr4OiVUkNVPpEUFOaPhGRzcdsIQTkwQxAtWrC8cs60f7qz5urBMpf5bLjZi9mX0Y-_0GFbe-UVL9BEBrT-zAIFfsJyg7Zjuz6q1Td2QZbuEM9FR/s200/IMG_8866.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220331424897915330" /></div><div>Some of those were just astounding. Really. Envision the bigger, grander homes in Bel-Aire and Hollywood. Now put them on pieces of land about one square mile each.<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGnU7QUuTvJwBrBbPAHW3StgpqgxHz3P0qn-nDd72-ac6H0cwn5B1xghgbnhNcCrqTceEnSomqFFE4Bo1KqproJNxMhnQlE4PO-o1DIduQqjrXj0-XIyTkVC_9MZlhGdk1gre0fvI45Yg/s200/IMG_8863.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220331417231016114" /> </div><div>After that, we went back to Mrs. Stallwood's house and finally met her. Oh. My. Goodness. She may very well be the sweetest, most hospitable woman we have ever met. Plus, she is a firecracker! Matt, imagine your mom on steroids. That's her. From jumpstreet, she acted like she had known all of us for years. We visited with her for an hour or so, then headed over to Todd's for dinner and disc golf. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwN_bTPEUJkj2C6UYyPfG7szlv10DJjoUi4XD5_OIA5ApV4UfbsSMnfs0HbvvQKAPdle99xH48Muga5ZPDJfLTQptrh-uHMJbTw2O78JZsGR5HczQ_ksv-e5cm-Xv3pGMg9GBjMXCUGyH/s200/IMG_8910.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220334305966675746" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_6OIoHsRgrsCUAF0CrIrykbP99irQ5dEoh4k9RXD6S48H3lS3cG1VNfcWdlBz5oAAkpTIuNeHonpmX6XLwgFiFgdgN2m_BZLuhyv-7mY9gmTgAZ23S8Xt2f_wV1inuXxWBKMZFB0mzmP/s200/IMG_8878.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220334291300319122" /></div><div>Disc golf was great. The kids and I played with Todd and had a lot of fun. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWntlCzYmpMXoIv_WtBeYsu6eB9mpkki36eiSvqFX4aNIO0M-GtEXlkJwSLkEH_8CH14GuufnDumyhjnmnBHIy8xFoF0zNpV55j9E_p3XFBX65IyCjovGycD9fi15_sbE7oUS1Vjt1VOS7/s200/IMG_8897.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220334309643562210" /></div><div>Lou stayed inside and read and visited with his two weimaraners. After playing nine holes on his property, we started grilling some meat. </div><div>Dinner was good, and we had a great time visiting.</div><div>-Dave</div><div><br /></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-20524649312088742008-07-06T07:53:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:37.401-08:00July 1st, or, When we Ventured Below the Mason-Dixon Line<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uJJ3eaIR68cfHtKm8AQeITq9TYmae7sqPHME-_hv_dx2VPlS6RcpTioR5Mwt1Z3DvotnRsIJOWmhz-EGT4c2j-lFLCmVbm5-F7B59ORyJmTZhFp2i_WPezNfIRGSeE_3uJgPTAYOOas5/s200/IMG_8806.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219939131072399202" /><br />Good Morning,<div>July 1st, we left Cincy for the greener pastures of Kantuhkee and then the Volunteer State. Now, we did not realize that Ken Griffey, Jr's home run the previous night would set the stage so well for us, but it did. It really got the final few days of our vacation started off with a bang.</div><div>Once in Kentucky, we went to <a href="http://www.churchilldowns.com/">Churchill Downs</a> (home of the Kentucky Derby). <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7nHRfdsx4QvQG0c45pkEx_0fHBX9jobddPLez4yZupuTXMnlrj7ZjHv5NA6UzV43B_H-z1EfS6GRvdI7D4Di23dCFnr6kM6b0orREKgt5m7Na4bWXa-xq-UNQHOTu7e3oev0FAQx5a43/s200/IMG_8799.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219939137581813922" />The grandstands were HUGE. But surprisingly, the horse "park" itself was right in the middle if town. I figured it was off in the country someplace. That was a cool piece of Americana to see. The kids didn't really care, though. I guess it's time to force the world of playin' the ponies on them...</div><div>After the racetrack, we made our way across the street to <a href="http://www.louisville.edu/">University of Louisville</a>. I'll nutshell it for you. </div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CN-gZlKIeqiWJHQXERUOkk5Q1kOPaIbDhDXk_F52MgrC7EwQHetBYP3r5XFO6k6BR8EGyf8gziNau0CfsAuhAM6uPnTAk-idLD_vLIqUQ_HndezUd2L48Yo0nI8qVLUyT7dkg785nwCp/s200/IMG_8811.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219939144972510626" /></div><div>The campus was, uh, different. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThqFVbp2XgZ7Jsa8hUitCWcEChd3Kul0ZLAMT51HSgHz3ECFfi20U0B3QURX4l8V-Yrz68lavEmvAeJ5QTz2CKUNQsuWbbcOtJszSJ3EbnLbCE7ejDdYV8egiofeaA2x1YUyDWMncBbPT/s200/IMG_8816.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219939151615591586" />Some pretty buildings and some odd modern buildings. The grounds, though, were seemingly in disrepair. It was a bit of a bummer, but an important place to visit.</div><div>Next, we visited the <a href="http://www.sluggermuseum.org/">Louisville Slugger</a> factory and museum. </div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8yiKkRlxSB3x_rcH23QwLHSjG1e_ccC-Yb61_PBdbIzIG5Uui1QSl21LrDe9UeUL2kdcYK5Dr_X4utjX_3PC4NjdrygUIK2Rf3_AmXKoZWFia8hSzXfTajmOnV57WXfr8o9SO1h4IG3Q/s200/IMG_8819.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219939154973963154" />This was supremely cool and very interesting. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmA0Ug-Yypxe70iXl51pKPvfRs8_R5EC1muy_iTAF3V_Z3iLVhMJNHmfYaD54KcM7axGTqioVFcgLYDaUBxXOmZaE0G-qQT-xgC-S6Fnjs-EWsG0Fu_PZjvkowXeLDJ_VrQk4pUD6Y8dLm/s200/IMG_8823.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220337138165032450" />Both kids wanted to visit this place again. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOxX6cjxdwggj7X8_KKlkfVTaSv8SnQIpmpzX7MPYOxXyX4pkFSzUyfegBIN0_LFMz1M1zcrEZsh87oKxr57buETcglar-6TtvU1ygfutXvRKbWc-vC08IxCQb4OFpAUWZuKUEPLu7Msb/s200/IMG_8820.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220337131316909170" />Lou and I really enjoyed it, too. Alison even got a personalized bat. Unfortunately, we could not stay long, because we needed to head on down to Nashville and see some old friends of mine.</div><div>Finally, we got back on the interstate and headed deeper into the south (Lou was none too happy about our direction). </div><div>Tennessee came quickly, and the rest of the family got a lot of sleep on the way. We got to Nashville around 4:30 and met up with a good old friend of mine, <a href="http://www.dnacreative.com/index.html">Dale Addy, and his wife April</a>. They were a terrific taste of Southern Hospitality. Unbelievably, though, we did not take any pictures with them! UGH!!! Dale and I did a lot of hanging out together for a while in 1990 in Orange County. His mom and dad were both very important in my life at the time, as I was trying to figure out what direction to go in terms of career. Dale's mom ran a daycare out of her home, and that was one of the main reasons I decided to change my major to Child Development. Anyway, April and Dale run their own graphic design firm out of their home. They are both super-talented. They are also very successful, and more importantly, they love where they are in life (in every way). I am super-thankful that we were able to get together for just a few hours. The Addys took us to a local hole-in-the-wall called <a href="http://www.jacksbarbque.com/">"Jacks"</a> on "Honkeytonk Row." This was right around the corner from the "<a href="http://www.ryman.com/">Old Ryman Theater</a>," which used to be the home of the <a href="http://www.opry.com/">Grand Ole Opry</a>.</div><div>After filling ourselves with some very good barbeque, we walked around this area of downtown and down to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Nashborough">Fort Nashborough</a>. We saw a lot of really interesting and historic things, as well as some interesting newer things, such as where the Tennessee Titans play, where the Nashville Predators play, and where "Nashville Star" is filmed. </div><div>Really quickly about April and Dale...April is from Tennessee. They have been married for 13 years and have a great dog named CJ. They work with local businesses, including Belmont University and Nissan, as well as working with international corporations (one in Sweden that makes special wheelchairs). Very cool, indeed. They also gave us a Southern Care Package when we arrived that consisted of 12 vanilla and 12 chocolate <a href="http://moonpie.com/">Moon Pies</a> and 15 <a href="http://www.googoo.com/">Goo Goo Supremes</a>. Those "delicacies" are made in Tennessee. They also gave us a CD of R&B music that they worked on. Very nice. We had a great time. BTW, the kids LOVED the desserts. Thanks DALE...</div><div>After rolling ourselves back into our car and rolling out of Downtown Nashville, we headed to Franklin to stay with my friend, <a href="http://pizzabone.com/">Todd Stallwood</a>. Todd and I lived together for a while in 1991&92 with my parents in Burbank, CA. He is from Indiana, but is a Southern Boy, through and through. After leaving SoCal, he moved to Nashville and has been there ever since. </div><div>todd lives in a smaller house on two acres in the country, so his mom was extremely gracious in allowing us to stay at her house. She lives in a neighborhood that looks like it is a movie set. Her house was BEAUTIFUL and very large. Lou described the house as, "picure-perfect. It looks like todd rented a model home for us to stay in for a few days." Mrs. Stallwood also made Lou and me stay in her master bedroom. Her hospitality definitely is beyond words. </div><div>We visited with Todd for a few hours and fell asleep.</div><div>-Dave</div><div><br /></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-61120311911175341202008-07-05T21:29:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:38.686-08:00What Happened???<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QooeTi-pTHXSMSvNGDJKV3b6G7vf3kj4Bz8ZiFx8OY22LorBu8SaBDIoILj08tZrYTSYrCQ1s0p73f6gguTnjcpW58M4oxZQp3XZbdhkI2Gai7WkypsNOV_2x87BLUqimg5-pCihEe4x/s200/IMG_8750.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219765042909244066" /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPq4439ma3nuijLTbWJK_QyeELBK94JlbLgD7T_2WogSodI-KvnYLO8T-s7m7lrHbwEoiF2WK328MF8z4jmOmqauAjTYQ5wgG7Aho3IJkfnNJBsOpwGFxy-VCQ8jnYDwTbq6q_hA1MEfa/s1600-h/IMG_8693.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPq4439ma3nuijLTbWJK_QyeELBK94JlbLgD7T_2WogSodI-KvnYLO8T-s7m7lrHbwEoiF2WK328MF8z4jmOmqauAjTYQ5wgG7Aho3IJkfnNJBsOpwGFxy-VCQ8jnYDwTbq6q_hA1MEfa/s200/IMG_8693.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219762649607702658" /> </a><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmvT-YymWTeddKh0vPwzrMhczL6of4Vz4-cltgNbiFFl7CwwFhhWskUiD6vRVkd49JV-OpuPnV9ijIyUQ-hbjqdynZKvaz18QhDQ-nOb2Zpz-JiR2bza2dl-4ubJg1JYI0bjJEhyphenhypheniZyTG/s200/IMG_8699.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219765061298284722" /><br />Hey All Three of You Who Read This...<div>We have been out of commission for the past four days, but boy, have we done a bunch o' stuff! This post is about July 1st.</div><div>Okay...</div><div>July 1st was Tuesday. Most of this day was spent just resting in Mayberry. We didn't much, just watched TV, did sudoku, read, and blogged a little. Lou got a lot of rest, which was good. That afternoon, we visited two universities: <a href="http://www.xavier.edu/">Xavier</a> and the <a href="http://www.uc.edu/">University of Cincinnati</a>. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOw3gJQC56BZNmNRKwq6jlCbSUioOEBpXX8lEiUwHCqYeXS43placlVhHVFAlBidKw4MWvyoE37IKpWRH5PnYDYpEiZ6uZha7PsYT6GFaOhTjz4zp6WDJIXKaYsBxJkXGvqIdpQ-JErV30/s200/IMG_8696.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219765051445482642" /></div><div>They were both in parts of town that were a bit undesirable. However, we wanted to see Xavier. This is a small Catholic university. The campus was nice, abd the buildings looked a little bit like a castle. That was cool.</div><div>The University of Cincinnati had some beautiful buildings on it. We were surprised because we entered the campus from a side that was not picturesque. After leaving U of C, we headed to the <a href="http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cin">Cincinnati Reds</a> game following the directions of the young man at the campus bookstore. Well, those directions were not the best. We ended driving through skid row of Cincy. It was oppressive. The area was the worst place we had driven though since we drove through the projects on the south side of Chicago two years ago. Anyway, we made it to the game safely, with a pit in my stomach from the drive (felt a lot of guilt).</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhbmbj2_achDnZ8cnMc0igDo0z16yihdMRxkyGQZiAKB0aCQHkVEKKlVtVOlm63Tot28yRtjCxI44jpupIatmSjJlUZ0a5bt3fXbKANFut9pms9n-OruH2L4D-tPG5nMoPHiIGRwte_5a/s200/IMG_8719.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219762835670550178" /></div><div>The game was good until the ninth inning. </div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMUDxsAn8oD2Xu3nCt1Yyd1szrnfV663Rkz06zySWPNopnjhCIAz4C4nh204smk4jc-XsC5tzdAWLHbPFRP8qX32HpjzxHfi-exY7nBc9GUGpA7jHJMrxAFyXkmousxXYndl8Oc98itmU/s200/IMG_8725.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219762661125564946" /></div><div>The Reds were down three to two. Griffey wasn't playing that night. The manager put Griffey in to play right field. He would be due up second in the bottom of the ninth. You can see what is coming, I'm sure. The reds held the Pirates to no runs in the top of the ninth. Then in the bottom of the ninth, the first batter came up and hit a double. Griffey came up, and promptly hit a two run homer. The place went nuts, and I got a photo of the hit. If you look carefully, you can see the ball. It is near the third base foul line.</div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkTBt-nMaQylfzKOXj2pQxBcv0SlW0nBnEGrn9nGJhNDoQKcgCMyS-6gbPQnf2sIFcfo5V-NjZqoNSX_QBNo6AdapFmr7Sn5v7npvvPmUqyGBY6YblfKW0UI2N_XvF17y7bvZtmuycDuU/s200/IMG_8749.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219762840953730530" />Awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Dave </div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-40371169952001301232008-06-30T21:56:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:39.532-08:00King's Island<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cLTej1UOiWsA6UeIYGbEpYW84FGfXY8UHIWvMaZpOoAPa-5GoXz3SA6mzeIKZXL-o-OvpvaO7DsKJ7MYTjUe-yBp0rFTXTbtvyLtBh5NdDD0fYWSSaAP-zf0XeCQvba6St4DJTudcDNI/s1600-h/IMG_8674.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cLTej1UOiWsA6UeIYGbEpYW84FGfXY8UHIWvMaZpOoAPa-5GoXz3SA6mzeIKZXL-o-OvpvaO7DsKJ7MYTjUe-yBp0rFTXTbtvyLtBh5NdDD0fYWSSaAP-zf0XeCQvba6St4DJTudcDNI/s320/IMG_8674.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217915501729870626" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj924heSzs8EbEXuJCyR8cGMVnwPFi5AVNbJhKTXHIUlItZtETUgktLSr_aYfjWykGsdDWSe4o8KX1rLh4jmV4Pm9ig9Ctt8qBPS5BKaC0MFjOsYV7lwWTM8YtP9EpuBXE2lPLBnBFb_xDw/s1600-h/IMG_8683.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj924heSzs8EbEXuJCyR8cGMVnwPFi5AVNbJhKTXHIUlItZtETUgktLSr_aYfjWykGsdDWSe4o8KX1rLh4jmV4Pm9ig9Ctt8qBPS5BKaC0MFjOsYV7lwWTM8YtP9EpuBXE2lPLBnBFb_xDw/s320/IMG_8683.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217915513524349090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-oABm5OIKry8NsV-_4_QGMIruifQrrxTMYTtoXmboMzrsYpQQkhNNYQRk47sjDAMsp7Mgw6xPE3ijMmRyArVn43QDxnUpS2Z9EohCYxuY8XO_V6yW05ivAYF2vCkSDh8cZWvKYOH5G7Y/s1600-h/IMG_8690.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-oABm5OIKry8NsV-_4_QGMIruifQrrxTMYTtoXmboMzrsYpQQkhNNYQRk47sjDAMsp7Mgw6xPE3ijMmRyArVn43QDxnUpS2Z9EohCYxuY8XO_V6yW05ivAYF2vCkSDh8cZWvKYOH5G7Y/s320/IMG_8690.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217915516763303890" /></a><br /><br />Hey from Cincy!<div>Yesterday we spent the day at <a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com">King's Island</a>. It is a very pretty amusement park, which the kids and I rated second only to the Disney Parks. Lou agreed that it was prettier than the non-Disney parks also. The kids and I rode plenty of rides. As a matter of fact, I have really started questioning my "love" of roller coasters. But, duty calls, and i <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">must</span> support the kids by riding with them. </div><div>The first ride we went on was called the <a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions/detail.cfm?ai_id=345">"Backlot Stunt Coaster."</a> This was totally a cross between a Disney and a Universal Studios ride. It was a smaller ride with a LIM launch, and it combined elements such as gunfire, explosions, and props very close to the track. It was great, and a nice combination of fun and exciting (a far cry from Cedar Point). The kids rated this ride a five out of five. </div><div>Then we went on the<a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions/detail.cfm?ai_id=157"> "The Beast."</a> This ride has the distinction of being the world's longest wooden roller coaster. It was a fun ride, and fairly smooth until the 540 degree helix at the end. That was also the fastest portion of the ride. I had been hearing of this ride for over 20 years from friends. I'm glad we went on it. The kids rated it a 4 1/2 out of five.</div><div>After The Beast, we ventured into the <a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions/detail.cfm?ai_id=161">"Vortex."</a> This coaster is very similar to Magic Mountain's Viper, except this one goes upside down six times instead of seven. It was good, but a bit rough. The kids rated it a three (joe wanted to give it a 1).</div><div>Next we went on<a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions/detail.cfm?ai_id=162"> "Flight of Fear."</a> This was another ride that was a "Disney- light" experience. The premise was that a UFO had been discovered, and we were trying out the smaller flight vehicles from the space ship. The whole ride was indoors in the dark (think Rock-N-Roller Coaster). With the 4 inversions, we were all giggly when we same Lou at the exit. the kids rated it a 4 1/2.</div><div>The Sponge Bob 3D movie was the next ride on the docket. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYC80D2O3LC0Kjk6vt4Dclyo8-bvdNdICtaCJl6yq33vzOj1MQwu47NBn2-sVP_DfKY0E2NY6Kf0bHscbK4ssttCDOvn1GG-fpfYOo6A3ZLxG38D1f5cfIKgFE63OmgdldiuZ2-ZfsuJ_z/s320/IMG_8682.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217915508620128962" /> We wanted to do something with Lou. What made this movie different was that everyone in the audience sat in motion simulator seats. I believe these seat were designed by the Iwerks corp. Sponge Bob was hilarious. The 3D effects were okay, and the motion effects were very good. Everyone enjoyed this ride.</div><div>Lou and I sat out the next ride,<a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions/detail.cfm?ai_id=163"> "The Racer."</a> The kids HATED this ride. They said it was waaaaaayyyyyyy to bumpy.</div><div>An All-You-Can-Stomach buffet was next on the menu. It was a special (only $40 for all of us) so we jumped at the chance. The food was okay. Some better than others. No one got sick from it, so I would rate it, "A Okay."</div><div>After lunch, the chilluns rode<a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=39"> Danny Phantom, then Avatar.</a> They loved both. This section of the park was the best kids area I had even seen. </div><div><a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions/detail.cfm?ai_id=158">"Invertigo"</a> had been calling the kids' names all day. This was an inverted face=to-face coaster which went upside down three times, then did it all again in reverse. TREMENDOUS!!! One of the best rides I had ever been on. It rated a five plus from the kids.</div><div>Of course, everyone except Lou had been eyeing "<a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions/detail.cfm?ai_id=156">Son of Beast"</a> all day. This is the world's tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. It used to have loop (that's right) until there was some accident involving the loop last year. The Loop was the only reason I wanted to experience it, but the kids still wanted to do it, so I had to, also.</div><div>Man, this ride was SHAKY!!!!!! I rode next to Joe (and had to hold onto him) and behind Alison (she made me hold onto her for the first drop). I'm sure this would have ben rough enough had I bed able to hold on for myself. However, I had to hold both of the kids and wasn't able to brace myself. IT WAS ROUGH!<br /></div><div>The <a href="http://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=20">Water Park</a> was up next. Lou stayed in the car and the kids and I went for some water fun. I sat out everything. The water park offered the standard fare, except for a pipeline simulator. When the kids found this, they parked themselves on it. Joe did really well on it. Alison, not so much, but she kept trying. It was a blast to watch them on it.</div><div>finally we went back into the regular park and rode on a river rafting ride. Blah. We got wet. Blah.</div><div>For dinner, we ate at <a href="http://www.steakandshake.com">Steak'nShake</a>. It was okay (the shakes were tasty). The portions were smaller than Lou had anticipated. But hey, this was some local fare, so we <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">had</span> to try it.</div><div>-Dave </div><div>Most of the links weren't working, so I'll fix them tomorrow.</div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-4281360309852903132008-06-30T09:40:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:41.224-08:00How 'bout some more RAIN???<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rbZYZtZl6j-LJGbZkaU7p_pjHQx8FAh_kUCMJhQFKeqTfdfcRYewRVbyWJULDqfk4gfGf1FNS7rurJdK8wwEzjDhbgBgo2DdNMl6coUPrQ3useUEbtPTenQmhyphenhyphenB0tQxrmaqPWdhbgpF_/s1600-h/IMG_8615.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rbZYZtZl6j-LJGbZkaU7p_pjHQx8FAh_kUCMJhQFKeqTfdfcRYewRVbyWJULDqfk4gfGf1FNS7rurJdK8wwEzjDhbgBgo2DdNMl6coUPrQ3useUEbtPTenQmhyphenhyphenB0tQxrmaqPWdhbgpF_/s320/IMG_8615.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217761146095351330" /></a><br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZY3x8Pg7-AGwz9k0iV8sCt0Cl0Uy99obLc_r0Uhwb9yd8ATNqJXkibNE9ETra68klVYgJ0hfuTzIj1zMnBg3RNjgko__5R0EOptHuEz90XhiG28ETi7xmRM0lMx54jaBAfwXfHfqS6SE/s320/IMG_8617.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217761152860256546" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKGg3QrV9u4UTREsmv5MjMFPQwssOnYtfpoeuB8DiNGzOsZxIBKqyityY2Yl91gor6K9QQKv-YsB7uJSTMFzjMchW8Z1np_d-aLqCUAUB84n89BIrbnOeTPQdc4-JFnRucoDca598EHzR/s320/IMG_8621.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217761161525027234" /><br /><br /><br />Good day to you all...<div>I fell behind a couple of days, so I am going to update this twice today.</div><div>We have had a great trip so far. The kids are getting along great. Lou and I are having a lot of fun. We are getting to see so much of this great country first-hand and close-up. There are so many priceless experiences that our country offers. It is kind of a bummer that even though we are doing so many things and traveling so many places, we are really only scratching the surface of the Nifty 50 (or Nifty lower 48).</div><div>BTW, I just saw <a href="http://www.barackobama.com/">Obama</a> speaking from Independence, Mo this morning (Monday). He is awesome! I think I like him so much because he says so many of the same things Lou and I have been saying for so long. Ideas regarding religion and political parties. Ideas about patriotism and political parties. The whole, "If you don't wear a flag pin, you are not a patriot" debacle. Also, there is a lot more visible support for Obama on bumper stickers and t-shirts in Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania than McCain. To be fair, We haven't gone through the deep south (yet). That's tomorrow...</div><div>Okay.</div><div>Saturday we left Pittsburgh. This was actually a sad situation because we really loved our less-than-24 hours there. We got up Saturday morning a little later than expected and checked out of the hotel. We went back to the "flea market" area to revisit the Lebanese store. Lou had a great time talking to the owner while we waited for our lamb kabobs and lamb gyros. It was an eye-opening cultural experience for the kids and me.</div><div>After leaving that store, we went to one of the two incline railways in town called the<a href="http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/CustomerInfo/Inclines/tabid/119/Default.aspx"> "Mon (short for Monongahela) Incline."</a> This railway is one of the steepest railways in the country and travels up the side of the hill from Downtown Pittsburgh to the Washington Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The experience was neat but steamy (80 degrees/90% humidity). The experience was worth is once we got to the top. The views of the Pittsburgh area, it's three rivers, and the hills surrounding it were tremendous. Apparently, this is THE spot to visit in the city if you want a paradigm-changing experience. We also went to a neat little ice cream shop up there and got some much needed cool relief.</div><div>After riding down the Mon Incline, we drove around the <a href="http://www.pitt.edu/">University of Pittsburgh</a>. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kp_ksjK77yA1M8_354dA8-pIVD-IZK9RYuEHcxEQ2dzc0-ykcMaUHwjHZyfO0gM5qqt_FN5QOcxdS_OYUsjYI8zVf1ZOf5W4uv8D5sv6pwUn-Wv3HnO1NVJemeBWjlTJ6P5vuXZ14kCw/s320/IMG_8640.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217761169644683282" />We didn't get out of the car because we were running waaayyyy behind schedule. That was okay. U of Pitt was pretty and received Lou's approval of possible schools for the kids to attend for college.</div><div>The trip to <a href="http://www.monroeohio.org/">Monroe, Ohio</a> (which will from now on be referred to as Mayberry, NC), was a stunning visual treat. Wow, that sounds really lame. At any rate, the hills and valleys in southwest PA are gorgeous. Our few minutes driving through <a href="http://www.wv.gov/">West Virginia</a> were also beautiful. However, I think Lou held her breath the entire time we were in WV. She has a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">little bit of a bias</span></span> against all things WV. But against her better judgement, she acquiesced, and agreed that this part of WV was beautiful. On a side note about suggestibility and our son...he <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">had</span> to watch <a href="http://wearemarshalldvd.warnerbros.com/">"We are Marshall"</a> while in WV.</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsaPI6f3UhlfX84fjHx2Uc4Tl_U5KCAIWwMxfMIt9g2IiB2TG7YC9awx79JZYXf57OvHuYGd4-5z0YoeCApSAfcsWdDE7B8DQUI42hCanb2-LWFGIMbbZDSl4I0lccc1jXhBNgy8nrF5S/s320/IMG_8666.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217763247497650802" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj692kr30sNiLWtSsG_dGcHsHAXr1lDxN4ODXk2tvV5GeMM8-r4pPUD7kT3R-KDF0Owk09RoVoHMiKxCmhPytsTOB47Ae8ZVhY6VX4FSn42U1IqO8Nqg46PVS1Mlw1eOap90lJZHhnC-cdV/s320/IMG_8672.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217763258624836866" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1VmRZK08gv5nLFxIRf1sjWwS4dk2lcfRX4C77-_KpqNkgELnVd0OMQZauYwPBZDwULWJ1V0plMwdyb4HbxC4kxJmFJfpWll9TUr9GZKu2oblNVhhHOADaiSSrKBsySF79jrIUy2IJ4QZ/s320/IMG_8660.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217761176050560690" /></div><div>We were now headed to <a href="http://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a>. The drive through Ohio was uneventful until we got around 20 minutes from the college. At that point, the rain started pouring down on us. I mean pouring! It was blinding and was accompanied by plenty of thunder and lightning. Of course, this put the kibosh on our plans to walk around OSU. However, we drove around the campus. It was what I expected Michigan to be like. Really, really, beautiful. This is now in my favorite three Big Ten schools (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and OSU- no order). <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQGmdHmo9_FUk-VJOR4i3cwVCjDk7KQBHs5JEGzUAkV3ryMIJpi5SRITb_W73fJhOZ0YsFcbGn28AKWm7SMJpa6piG4-InDZPJT-Cydok_vmtGTz0sTY3gEuFz5lLJ8vJIHF5dmfheo2n/s320/IMG_8663.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217763234034588466" /></div><div>After leaving Columbus, we drove to Monroe, er, Mayberry and checked into our Hampton Inn. Ooh, I almost forgot, about three miles from here is a <a href="http://www.drc.state.oh.us/Public/leci.htm">HUGE prison</a>. It must stretch over square mile. Lovely.</div><div>For dinner on Saturday night, we went to <a href="http://www.bobevans.com/">Bob Evans, "The Home of Homestyle."</a> We first went to Bob Evans last year outside of St Louis. This place is a great example of what people from California think the midwest is all about. The food is fresh. The service is friendly. The portions are large with plenty of extras. Lou had meatloaf (the same as last year), Joe had a "Slow cooked turkey and bacon melt," and Alison had a "deep dish Chicken noodle soup," which was thick chicken noodle soup poured over a heaping helping of mashed potatoes. The best part? They have a salad called the "Wildfire BBQ chicken Salad." Last year, our waitress told us this was the best salad in the world, so I ordered it. Coming from California, I was in for a bit of a shock. The requisite lettuce and tomatoes were there, but then things got a bit "southern." They put in chicken, but it was fried, along with a LOT of cheese, corn, and, wait for it, chips! Oh yes, BBQ sauce was poured over it, and a side of BBQ dressing was given to me in case I wanted it more saucy. Naturally, I ordered it again this year. It came with a side of delicious banana nut bread. Our waitress gave us an entire loaf of it when we left for free. I LOVE Bob Evans. </div><div>-Dave</div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-40417416556060628232008-06-28T21:37:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:42.417-08:00Pittsburgh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SbtDRlhL4v0n4aP0NlDsZDp5oZLwIBijL2LCAZgjMyF0JhbxEK6ql_vhy87AgMxloFHLhZyj5lqeTg4AnnZx1Pea-pEHlifZytzUBxw9wpZnQpNsI6OMZGE_Ccdq39fYg93joNKfR8ci/s1600-h/IMG_8553.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SbtDRlhL4v0n4aP0NlDsZDp5oZLwIBijL2LCAZgjMyF0JhbxEK6ql_vhy87AgMxloFHLhZyj5lqeTg4AnnZx1Pea-pEHlifZytzUBxw9wpZnQpNsI6OMZGE_Ccdq39fYg93joNKfR8ci/s320/IMG_8553.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217284951236415154" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Good Saturday Night, Everyone (Linda and Mom)!<div>Yesterday we left Cleveland and motored on over to Pittsburgh. This was officially the shortest leg that we had taken in our last four summers of vacation. It is only about two hours between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, so it was kind of weird not having to go hard to get from our starting point to our ending point. In fact, we were going to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but Lou and I decided to let the kids sleep in and kind of just cruise to Pitt. </div><div>After the kids and I ate our FREE, Cooked-to-Order breakfast, the kids went swimming. We all left the hotel by noon, and began our short jaunt to Pittsburgh.</div><div>Now, none of us had ever been there, so I did not know what to expect. However, that didn't stop me from formulating an opinion already. I figured it would be a rough-hewn city, with a ton of minimally-educated white people eating white bread and generally being boring. After all, as we were driving into the region, I was following a truck with a confederate flag bumper sticker on one side of his tailgate, and a "Nuke Berkley" bumper sticker on the other side. Man, was I ever wrong. In fact, Pittsburgh is the highlight of the trip for me so far (and Lou, too).</div><div>We stayed in a really cool <a href="http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=RPRIQQ2U3TNDKCSGBJC3UKQ?ctyhocn=PITDNHX">Hampton Inn </a>in "The Strip" district near downtown. In fact, we were right next to the H<a href="http://www.heinz.com/">einz headquarters</a>, some <a href="http://www.pghhistory.org/">Heinz cultural museum</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny_River">Allegheny River.</a> We could also see the Pirates' ballpark from our hotel. When we got there, the room wasn't ready, so we took in some of the local culture a few blocks away and went to the original <a href="http://www.primantibros.com/">"Primanti Brother's" </a>restaurant.</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtk_qb_K7O600cfZXsQpQRT7tQBSBJsuD8tCnGvSWp4F9AsZ64-xAWP7oyP8_2vOHMCVfQod7rvqSwVWlg9Siwqcg7zDTMKf3XzlHVNMKIqCn0Jd4antRI2sjt4ZFF2TlsSF8Ljp9g2WBQ/s320/IMG_8518.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217286455625179346" /> If you haven't heard of this place, it is a Pittsburgh icon. Something like 77 years ago, the Primanti Brothers decided to open a sandwich shop. They needed to make a meal that could be eaten with one hand while the coal and steel workers worked, or walked to work, or home, or whatever... In order to meet this task, they piled on a super large scoop of cole slaw (the good stuff this time) and an order of fries onto each sandwich they sold. Then they would put the other slice of bread on top, wrap the sandwich, and cut it. </div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQbVVNU7VPoIo0yFrA2G406SKPxJPc1GvHZsZsGKLyWwrx_awIOsTjAPf4FsSosSl3Hi8x-xuZKkmG29S06U15UGVl4GiYYyKMXujL01Nb4CxQLquO3RVK5hPtibCln3ol9lOFK_abiiw/s320/IMG_8520.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217286476281934386" />Everyone loved the sandwiches, although Joe thought there was too much cole slaw on his (he has an ongoing battle against fruits and veggies).<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jL7d3kA06ckcjMxI2HM9FFLpc4HXUytH0esUcZ4DPCf3x2zauvedfk-q_ck5NOMqVhoHkSEKvkGnI2ILMvXN1eKVV_drimnHWeV3F6zm8IsVzhYy05ze6JH48_bVShpcCXrsgxkQp2yN/s320/IMG_8517.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217284966099634610" /></div><div>After the Primanti Bros, we walked around the shopping district that surrounded the restaurant. This was like a permanent flea market, with many "ethnic (I hate that description)" shops and restaurants. We found a Lebanese market, which made Lou very happy, and spent about ten minutes n the store talking to the owner. Afterwards, we found a place called, "<a href="http://www.fudgiewudgie.com/">Fudgie Wudgie,"</a> that claimed to be voted "America's #1 Fudge" for many years in a row. The fudge was very good, and the chocolate covered pretzels were even better, but joe was not swayed that this truly was the best fudge in the USA. In fact, he was not even satisfied ranking it as the top fudge he had ever tasted, and he let us know that continually for the next 24 hours.</div><div>After the fudge, we went back to the hotel and got ready for the game.<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXXHC93h_jT0mH-ESMnzB3SV_K45fRSqX2xKwKCjfy2dm81c2Yd_kKoqyTtjW-H3DIMdcKZfJvawMepNo5Qib7EyANsakFcFU72TJgfLxFMIxvjkZC4MSV-Qv3kUEWlOBohneIRYSePvN/s320/IMG_8521.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217284944113856130" /></div><div>We walked to <a href="http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/pit/ballpark/index.jsp">PNC Park</a> for the <a href="http://www.pirates.mlb.com/">Pirates</a> game-about 1 1/2 miles away. The walk was a path right alongside the Allegheny River. It was a pretty little trek. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IUB2cMUANpnzuTFgxvxJEqbVIPve-EFUtWwJgD1pQqSsr_-ldVd_vfRlHmUZMJYgn8fn_LkF_cePhyphenhyphenZfQcsZJXDp1glsCAUDVfx9Uubqk_mnsaTGa2J7HS9keibwFppZcDM0Qi2A0qPf/s320/IMG_8529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217284962299322738" /></div><div>The stadium was pretty and the seats were a good value. We were so full from the sandwiches earlier, that we did not have hotdogs at the game (the FIRST time EVER). </div><div>The game was exciting, if you were a fan of the <a href="http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=tb">Rays</a> (they won 10 to 5). The fans were loud and knowledgeable. The funniest thing, though, was that the scoreboard guy ran the "More Cowbell" skit from Saturday Night Live while a pitching change was being made. This is a skit starring Christopher Walken, Will Farrell, and Jim Fallon. It is hilarious. The skit had to be broken up into three different segments, and each time the skit was turned off to restart the game, the crowd groaned!</div><div>We left in the bottom of the 8th, because I was a little freaked out by the previous night's walk back to our hotel in Cleveland. However, this walk back to the hotel was beautiful and stress-free. Pittsburgh was surprisingly clean and friendly. The ladies running the front desk of our hotel were wonderfully helpful and friendly (not always the case). At this point, Lou and I regretted that we were only staying behind the steel curtain for only one night.<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInY5BgY6RBgYjPh4QAc2ludDqGP7isNIDNSC00k7Uk-qn6CCljfndsoCbRDcV7vxck9X-XUQ5zEwvYnGh0HgruW35c3nIb2kLUDVJ26iuaXjc6BBm_eJq1QNi6DP1dpBg6slZCQ4ZeMTm/s320/IMG_8594.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217284958294977842" /></div><div>-Dave</div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-9025057104496366162008-06-27T14:14:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:43.779-08:00Cedar Point, pt deux, Cleveland, and more RAIN!!!<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgWBvqtWdmiR_Z_ZujL9Co5_tmPmeGteEBpDL4uBOMa4p396sBUj9r9dbbfkGgwLjRLGhcOvZIvmxW2M10wzNWhFSYR7VRUXkd_zo-0UuKlgRs6RiiktoQv6ZK9KF8DVPOFGiw8mKVS-l/s320/IMG_8365.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216776415642937634" /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaB2n12HgnkJdyXl8TLZixhwiUUBqi2G706_Nz4_37_u0a8rnEW1zfIqc0tLC6104AqYksWiQvLO7-8QsFhK2grR8Vac8Wb9BCmk4AjSp81FfpJVXIdFUV3mOpzlB25WJvTYRgyuhOTLP/s320/IMG_8347.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216776402046253122" /><br /><br /><br />Hey everyone (and you know who you are),<div>This is a bonus posting! Yep! Two posts in one day. I gotta catch up. Yesterday we revisited <a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/">Cedar Point</a> to catch the rides we couldn't hit the day before. The humidity level was 89%! That, combined with the 80-85 degree temps caused us to wilt on the vine! It was gross and sticky. Blech. At any rate, we were able to hit a lot of the other rides.<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcRVdpv6lTx5puFGUmJDMX1iYsjo_aekXXt-DvkwkUeUMCfMypF6JL_W1BibQATbwAixLkX0YArysr2C6I71JH-ZEUksb27PmvE6E1QB4WgUADPnHqY3Oyq2DZrUVgVHBCx5HYALlBxUN/s320/IMG_8359.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216776406959132338" /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We went on the "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/raptor/index.cfm">Raptor </a>(Joe, Alison, and I)," a hanging roller coaster (Joe's first). Fantastic ride, I have no idea how many inversions. It put "<a href="http://www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/rides/BatmanTheRide.aspx">Batman</a>" at Magic Mountain to shame. Alison and I then went on "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/mantis/index.cfm">Mantis</a>," a standing roller coaster that had 4 inversions. After that, the kids and I went on "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/maverick/index.cfm">Mav</a><a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/maverick/index.cfm">erick</a>." This ride was voted the best new ride of 2007. It was tremendous. This ride had a 95 degree drop. REALLY. There were also five inversions I think. Really great ride. While all of the riding was occurring, Lou was supposed to be in the car. However, she never made it there. She got sidetracked in the gift shops, when she found a heavy duty air conditioner!</div><div>Afterwards, all four of us went on the "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/disaster_transport/index.cfm">Disaster Transport</a>." It was weak, but we got to all ride it together. The ride was an extremely poor man's "La Vibora" from Six Flags Over Texas.</div><div>It was a bobsled-type ride. The building was steaming-hot and dark. After the ride, Lou and Alison went to the car, and Joe and I rode the "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/thrill/demon_drop/index.cfm">Demon Drop</a>." This was an elevator-type ride that went up 13 stories, waited for about three seconds, then dropped you. I believe this was the last ride of this kind still in operation in the USA.</div><div>We left the park after this ride. All of us were parched beyond belief! The answer? Lemonade from Arby's! Whatever, we were craving some Arby's for the road. Then we headed to Cleveland.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Cleveland was underwhelming, at best. Our room in the Embassy Suites was great, but the hotel was weird. There was a ball game on the agenda for the night, so we walked over to <a href="http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/ballpark/index.jsp">Progressive Field</a> (about 5 blocks). </div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CWSsA6AvOlst4TVn46PkvR8u-9cR4t3C43NkJzhTYXdBuD-Wo8J-XtATcgE1fd03exp7SpW8HQZuHOcIc6crooenXqI8jjIT3P5GOz1Qe8U3XUe__u-rnn_VcPsHdFlNQtQ5r02lNqxk/s320/IMG_8414.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216776424322328178" /></div><div>We got our tickets, then took some photos and video of the stadium and surroundings. No sooner had we walked to our section, than it started to rain. It rained, and rained, and rained. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCT-G1d96N4C-O1yLFwZ3Aw21Lex9gtGI3O7whk_mI6GS0LPbDL6aSfGUJhVsF8aM6lk3KLCoGw8rrmOWdtKaFRTSLN7D1nBnQajJeStUe-r9STYO0UYWkhmLTVk8ggnwlnWQrGMK8J14a/s320/IMG_8376.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216776417745408002" /> The game did start at 8:45, though. So Cleveland was unique because we had never experienced a rain delay before. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The game was a good one. Cleveland won, but what was more interesting were the people. The workers and crowd were EXTREMELY nice and friendly. We had a great time talking to the vendors during the rain delay.<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We did have a semi-scary near encounter on the way home, though. We were walking down the street, and about 60 yards ahead of us three teenagers dressed in all black came bounding out of an alley. I was watching to see if they were older men (which would not have bothered me), but Lou said, "We need to cross the street now."<br /></div><div>So we did. they went back into the alley, and we made it safely back to the hotel.</div><div>Cleveland the city is stinky. Cleveland the baseball team is great. IF we ever come back to watch a game, we will stay outside of the city and drive in.</div><div>Thanks to God and Jesus for keeping us safe in the city.</div><div>-Dave</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-64054523309499047472008-06-27T07:24:00.000-07:002008-06-27T07:54:05.972-07:00Cedar Point and RAIN!!!Good Morning!<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Two days ago we pilled into the van, went to <a href="http://www.timhorton's.com">Tim Horton's</a> for some coffee, donuts, and Timbits, and left Michigan for the greener pastures of Ohio. We headed to <a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com">Cedar Point</a>, commonly known as "Americans Best Amusement Park." It is an interesting place with 17 roller coasters. What makes the park unique, IMHO, is that is located on a sand bar in the middle of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Erie">Lake Erie</a>. The views were very calm and peaceful, and it made me imagine vacations taken a century ago, when people would journey to the "shore" for a few days.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>As soon as we got into the park, it started raining. All of the roller coasters closed, which left only the "carnival rides (as Joe calls them)" to ride. So, the kids went on a few of the old timey rides while Lou and I waited. I felt like how Walt Disney described his experiences with his daughters in Griffith Park when they were little. On odd thins happened the more I waited. I began to freak out a little and got really nervous about going on the roller coasters with the kids. You see, Lou won't ride them, so I have to choose who to rids next to. If the rides aren't gigantic, it's no problem, but many of these rides were just that...world record holders in some form or another.<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Thankfully, the rain let up after a while and we were able to ride the "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/mean_streak/index.cfm">Mean Streak,</a>" a giant wooden roller coaster that shook us all like crazy, and the "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/gemini/index.cfm">Gemini</a>," a wooden "racing" coaster (FUN!). We also stood in line for the "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/maverick/index.cfm">Maverick</a>" for over an hour and it broke down.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Lou joined us for two rides. One was the "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/cedar_creek_mine_ride/index.cfm">Cedar Creek Mine Ride</a>," a runaway mine train. The other one was the "<a href="http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/iron_dragon/index.cfm">Iron Dragon</a>," a hanging, free-swinging roller coaster. Before we were able to ride any other rides, the rain started coming down again. This time, it was accompanied by lightning. We decided to leave (it was 8 pm anyway). By the time we got to our car, the rain was coming down in buckets. It was awesome considering we never get to e that. We went to a <a href="http://www.toftdairy.com/">local dairy</a> on the way back to our hotel and loaded up on ice cream treats.</div><div>Oh, we have no photos of the day due to the rain.</div><div>-Dave</div><div><br /></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-72198302307146248332008-06-25T19:13:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:45.050-08:00Happy Birthday Lou!<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4H9MJ7RXoEe9J9nbmC7rffH9RIaH4ZvpGO2LiHrfpFvQYN3UXSlBIuc4c09styUH3ybKHRQZkx7EzWwWKdvfMgSN2gEEq7kZ0ypBCER4Anb3v69vtAm1KZyjArhzkKQUimxCURTYJjXB/s320/IMG_8195.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216057553953207394" /><br /><br /><div>Feliz Cumpleanos a todos! (Kindly put the tilde where it belongs. I don't know how to put it above the n.)</div>Buenas Noches a todos!<div>Yesterday was a great day! It was Lou's birthday, so we had to do it up right. We got to a late start, because the kids were sleepy. That was okay, because Lou had been doing laundry late into the night the previous night while I was blogging. </div><div>When we finally got going, we went to an authentic Lebanese restaurant called, "Beruit," that was just around the corner from our hotel. The food was delicious! Lou actually started crying because it reminded her of her grandparents. We had stuffed grape leaves, hummus, tabouleh, lamb, chicken kabobs, rice, some form of middle eastern flat bread (Lou's grandpa called "the original tortilla"), salad, and two different kinds of baklava for only $48! </div><div>A funny side note to me...about five minutes after we first sat down, there were four big, room- rattling, booms that occured about 30 seconds apart from each other. I made the following comment, "Man. I thought this was authentic enough. I didn't think they were going to make it <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">this</span> authentic!" Needless to say, Lou gave me a "look" and punched me in the arm.</div><div>After leaving the restaurant, we headed for <a href="http://www.a2gov.org/Pages/default.aspx">Ann Arbor</a>. Now, I had always loved the <a href="http://www.umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a>. Their football field and stadium were tremendous. thier colors were strong and manly. Their helmets??? Cool. Their fight song? Are you kidding me? Next to Notre Dame's, it is The. Best. EVER. So I was excited to get on campus, check out their bookstore, and buy some great stuff.</div><div>Their campus was horrid. Is "disgusting" too strong of a word here? I know I made no transition from the previous paragraph, but I couldn't wait to formulate a transition sentence. The campus was that bad. There were a few buildings in one location, then there were a couple of residential streets. Then a few more campus buildings, then more houses. A building, some retail stores, a warehouse, some more campus buildings. When we finally found the student services and activities building, we parked and went in (assuming the bookstore would be in there, or at least nearby). As we got out of the car, we were overpowered by the stench of fetid water or limburger cheese, one or the other. Of course, the bookstore was nowhere to be found. There was not even an information desk. We got back in the van and drove around the dump, er, town for about 30 more minutes and ended up leaving in frustration. Not only am I no longer a fan (although I still love their fight song), I am actually happier than ever that they lost to <a href="http://www.appstate.edu/">Appalachian State</a> last year.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>One more thing about Ann Arbor...the town sounds beautiful, but it was overgrown, crowded, and had more than it's share of run down houses (obviously used by students). We were not impressed, and I was bummed out.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We left Ann Arbor, and headed to <a href="http://www.cityofeastlansing.com/">East Lansing</a>, a place that I had always figured was ugly. (I know you can see what is coming next.) The town was beautiful. It looked like the nice suburbs from Dallas. We made it to <a href="http://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a>. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8aYz0rtgNTby_whqj1PtWTvrxF8a3UWwgbfSI-WtRgqf2cek3FRIl-FXAR5S40xLoWGQyTnH-EnyHytzFFiD4_GAcTJmZv_1GlbkPn-rBg_IzraoJzHvVN7XbEI3eYuCkYxQ6aXICFQY/s320/IMG_8188.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216057543415949938" />The campus was easy to navigate, the buildings were clearly labeled, and the people were super nice. Lest you think I am going overboard, let me tell you that the buildings were ugly. They looked like they were built in the 60's. And when we went into the student union, I felt like I was going into some building in<a href="http://notebook.lausd.net/portal/page?_pageid=33,47493&_dad=ptl&_schema=PTL_EP"> LA Unified</a>. It even smelled the same!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We left MSU and headed for <a href="http://gizzardfest.com/">Potterville</a>. Potterville? Of course! The home of <a href="http://www.gizzardcity.com/">"Joe's Gizzard City!"</a> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwztWquLcS6SHtRnCy70nNoTSXO2uxFEu1mMXXyti77ktZuhqJ9FvaOTxytfXRbL6qmmB-qsLrQ8d2JLBC-4rdAP-GNP0J1gdb-HU3UF9mnlyUaUOCKSbSrBbmL9-OnSwV2v3Pvy06QmVC/s320/IMG_8194.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216057548149900594" />They bill themselves as the only gizzard city in the world. We saw this gem on the show, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_dv">Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives</a></span>. Knowing Lou's birthday wouldn't be complete without a heaping helping of fried gizzards, were went in and ordered. </div><div> This place was not a diner nor a drive-in. It was also a bar (really, mainly a bar). Interestingly enough, the kids, especially Alison, had some trouble breathing in there because of all of the cigarette smoke. Since smoking in restaurants in CA is a thing of the past, the kids kind of freaked out. Alison had to wait outside, so we got some outside shots of the Gizzard City. Breathtaking! We took the food and jammed into Detroit to catch a <a href="http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=det">Tigers</a> game. </div><div> Oops, I forgot to let you know about the food...</div><div>If you are in Potterville and have a hankerin' for some gizzards, order the "small." We ordered a large order of fried gizzards (original recipe), a large order of onion rings (always), and the "Triple D Burger." The onion rings were good but too bready. The gizzards were actually very good, but as Jim Gaffigan says, "A rubber hose would taste good if you deep fry it." We were all surprised at the good taste. The kids scarfed them down (and felt gross later). The Triple D Burger was beyond belief. The menu read that it was "a 1/3 pound beef patty, tomatoes, pickles, and cheese." The menu also said that the burger was fried. </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuEYWX9DxxvOOTg1fK2AyPHz8ZqTh3VClj90wyf1rLnoenL8rnqFVezeyGe3gkH6s5-tSkgB_I7vyFe8EFcscAYvD4fFrXNKCucd37NsI4NGXlyjV178yHtOGQE9zTgJ18zy4lTW5BBv7/s320/IMG_8198.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216057564190461922" /> Now, I thought that meant that the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">patty </span>was fried. When we opened the to go container about three miles down the road, we all started laughing uncontrollably. The entire burger, bun and all, was fried!!! It looked like a giant fried...(I can't even describe it) blonde hockey puck? Lou says it looked like a deep fried tall stack of pancakes. Well, it was delicious! We all had stomach aches later on in the evening.<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlXCxLYsJs4m05irQTWXoEwvQ8SpWwDKU4oSHQAuylHMlBBoyI9EX2tKcInV9saCqvNCSwn5MYrOU0yfTXsPs9pSU4vnRhz1leLtl0bEFilsX5DsXmJ1dkMPsiJ0VVB3e5PK-a9PE3lrA/s320/IMG_8197.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216057557289188242" /></div><div><br /></div><div>That night we went to the Tigers game. They got beaten by the <a href="http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=stl">St. Louis Cardinals</a> (Lou and Alison were happy). The stadium was pretty, and the location offered a nice view of downtown <a href="http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/">Detroit</a>, but the affect of the game and crowd was flat soda. There was not a whole lot of excitement. We'll take the rally monkey and the "<a href="http://angels.mlb.com/ana/ballpark/ana_ballpark_history.jsp">Big A</a>" any day over <a href="http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/det/ballpark/index.jsp">Comerica Park</a> (Tiger stadium).</div><div>Good night everybody.</div><div>-Dave</div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-81287866694584786652008-06-24T21:07:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:45.937-08:00Heading East towards Michigan!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzyj7MDNrrAYNGatY7Y28DsQTXBZLZxBqQEzNyxNNZHamsS9eTyGQae4T8pGkCnkO3mjPIYaSKDmvJkN3YqmQBam65FgcO96dfvNFXEjCz7gT3MR1DIGX_j9ZBKrQSwdHUSTY58CRFhJt/s1600-h/IMG_8155.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzyj7MDNrrAYNGatY7Y28DsQTXBZLZxBqQEzNyxNNZHamsS9eTyGQae4T8pGkCnkO3mjPIYaSKDmvJkN3YqmQBam65FgcO96dfvNFXEjCz7gT3MR1DIGX_j9ZBKrQSwdHUSTY58CRFhJt/s320/IMG_8155.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215696487761939058" /></a><br />Hey everyone!<div>Just want to say thanks to all of you who are checking the blog. I guess if you aren't checking it, you aren't seeing this, but whatever...</div><div>A little housekeeping. </div><div>I am trying to update the blog once a night, but it is getting a little hard, because it takes about 2-3 hours to get it all done, and that leaves me sleepy. Wah, wah, wah...I'm too tired because of my vacation...(disgusting, I know).</div><div>Enough about me, let's talk more about...me!</div><div>We left Chicago Monday almost exactly at noon. Lou's conference was over, and our family's vacation could resume. We were all happy that Mommy was back with us full time. I mean, I'm fun and all, but it <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">is</span> more fun with Lou around. We discovered that staying in the River North district of Chicago (a real swingin' area by Billy goat Tavern, Trump Tower, and the Magnificent Mile) is waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy better than being near O'Hare, which is 45 minutes (at best) from all of the cool stuff.</div><div>Anyway, we left Illinois and headed into Indiana. It cost us over three dollars in tolls to leave the state! Then it cost us $2.75 in tolls just to get to South Bend!!! By the time we left Indiana and got into Michigan, we had paid over $8 in tolls! To drive on INTERSTATES, no less!!! UGH!!!!! </div><div>Backing up a bit...</div><div>We went to South Bend to visit the <a href="http://www.nd.edu/">University of Notre Dame</a>. None of us had ever been there before, although we passed right by it two years ago while on our cross country trek that summer(my stupid choice so we could keep on our "schedule"), and I had regretted it ever since. Lou was born Catholic, and changed as a teenager, but she still holds some fond feelings towards the more "beautiful traditions" of the Catholic Church. Obviously, there are many things about the Catholic Church that she disagrees with, also. I always grew up despising Notre Dame (no real reason). Then, about 15 years ago, there was a little movie I like to call, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_(film)">Rudy</a></span>. Every time I have watched this movie I have cried. I'm serious! If I watch it all of the way through, tears flow. If I watch it from about half of the way through, I still cry! I can even watch only the last twenty minutes or so, and the waterworks just flow. To add to the pitiful-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">ness</span>, I have seen <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Rudy</span> at least 20 times (completely or partially). Now, because of that movie, I really do like Notre Dame.</div><div>So we walked around Notre Dame. We saw the Philbin theatre (yes,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> that</span> Philbin). We saw the football field. We looked through the gate at the end zone and could actually see the field. We saw "Touchdown Jesus." </div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vCBgt3MU47Bz2M71DA9IfXKscvFoejI_06hyphenhyphen6h3xsCwictqVP9CPZtQ7q7b96kfTywqdjPRZKSCOUc3HmQNGkB4YSA5dgfSXbY5peFGfpYZ3lhOkPXsC9izlStLTfP913s0gl4MkK8Z_/s320/IMG_8165.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215696495375951682" /> </div><div>The "Dome" was gorgeous.</div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnj4b5EFeiPtghIbryWFOHxC25vcoMurpXWmdtdW8lohR0JYMYBRvqxGQnIo0mqB81c3iEYzix52fdZJETH-Yy81obIQU1FHkc171boI_ylNBzaMnvlOXEfKm01FmLBJLWbGz0MqD1skY/s320/IMG_8147.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215696481525623442" /> </div><div>The Grotto (where Rudy lit all those candles) was really special. It was very moving for Joe. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4C7zFZdjmIuL2WbGCihNu-o9w7dR0zfZQb6jiVeqOoQn6qBxD6EJbH47gfACEFKaQkD3VHGvJUNsadZ9Y_DQfSptSXDAQaEf1z3hpiTrGZS33k9kCFAH2WeO7iw3IZxGuzwgvyhgLELwG/s320/IMG_8160.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215696503898623218" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Even the "Eck" visitor's center was beautiful!</div><div>Most beautiful and moving was the basilica. Now, we've been to a bunch of missions in California, and none of them moved me at all. We have also been to St. someone's in New York City and the <a href="http://www.cathedral.org/">National Cathedral</a> in D.C. Neither of those places moved me. I gotta tell you, when we walked into the basilica at Notre Dame, I literally overflowed with a huge love for God and Jesus. So much so, that a prayer actually jumped out of my heart. This was a very odd experience for me. That's all.</div><div>After leaving South Bend, we headed into Michigan and more specifically, Ann Arbor. We were on a quest to find "<a href="http://www.blimpyburger.com/">Krazy Jim's Bimpy Burger</a>" (as seen on TV's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_dv">Diners, Drive-Ins,, and Dives</a></span>). It is on the campus of the University of Michigan (more about that horrible campus tomorrow). Anyway, the food was really, really, really tasty. If you find yourself in the vicinity of Ann Arbor, you gotta visit this place. I recommend the quad burger. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqdTtoVqgF4OMamW2zExmfJcQqmnnYJNfwuSGxRGPbSMKnX16g3fN4ExP6viZuEOACJA8UYdvxE3QVtf3srjlr6jvpqcVT6BlZP_i9ysVY9_EPSxLnUo-CAVFUbp0St1B9ds287msHKcw/s320/IMG_8182.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215696512631769010" /></div><div>After leaving Blimpy Burger, we made it to our <a href="http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=KOZDGBOWBBZUYCSGBI1MVCQ?ctyhocn=DTTBVHX">Hampton Inn in Belleville</a>. This hotel is great! Clean, nice, comfy, personal service, FREE breakfast, FREE internet! (Did I mention that this blog is brought to you by Hampton Inn? Hampton Inn, leave your house and sleep there tonight.)</div><div>All is good. We are happy.</div><div>-Dave</div><div><br /></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-27500026744486414272008-06-23T20:08:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:47.473-08:00Our last day in Chicago<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsZI4EjkcyHdhdn965yq9U4exkrtCQ-8h4K1PXjHIaPyEtLWDiANSQ10mdaFR20bUX1qziM4lD5uFsRzwUyxgs-s6gdFZrAq4c5f2varYOLuRBai_9xtTQIkMnRUbFMKd-Aj075ST5gJ_/s320/IMG_8025.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215301171382023954" /> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizu_RKJ-L_n_iJoN9hK8U92OCltAq8b1W4L4lfSwd1JQRaCCUgnodnljyPPVpvwXzmSGGgHhtiEMCXet5NM2USOMZESFWq7euhshkE8Zyj5JOMQ63i9tKvKpnr8k7ZgunrpBWcdEufAMDU/s320/IMG_8026.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215301188318277298" /><br /></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey Everyone! </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday was our last full day in Chicago. My desire was to go to church out here somewhere, but the kids slept until 10:30 because we were out last night on the train until 11:15, so the church plans didn’t materialize. However, the kids did finally awaken, and we did get out of the room.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The kids felt like we needed to go to the </span><a href="http://www.billygoattavern.com/home.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Billy Go</span></a><a href="http://www.billygoattavern.com/home.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">at Tavern</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyz0u6vjq9Nl0cjvTSC5u32V_nMhRcT1c66D4_-ZU-ujYYKLFGrARaFPgYlhgqENCSBc8alIowrrgRVZlOQfEmt8oBaD0VImkjNO_hp1W3nNEhJ3ZPx6hlFVsh7LUUpkAMFzh16zniNAaI/s320/IMG_8034.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215301215905762802" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">or else the trip would not b<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">e complete, so that was part of our task for today. The Billy Goat Tavern is the inspiration for the early Saturday Night Live sketch where </span><a href="http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/play.shtml?mea=2807"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and John Belush</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">i worked in a diner where they would keep sayi</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">ng, “Cheezborger, cheezborger, cheezborger...” and “Pepsi, no Coke.” </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-ZJKWCZbQK6r3Yy-PzUfe3IDh9RP02xzimXTdl3VjrX_UHzL23V_Yp6TnKbM27iVgVbBlaj69wUj6z497be1AqNcyxtjYKdZ8q_3PXeHDCkOCnBHQvxFUjp530nPaWE9XWzEHyyXFhGw/s320/IMG_8028.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215301201969913938" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "> It is located below the<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; "><a href="http://www.wrigley.com/wrigley/about/about_story_building.asp"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Wrigley</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "> building right next to the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_River"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Chicago River</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">. Apparently, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern was the guy that put the curse on </span><a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=chc"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Chicago Cubs</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">. The story goes that he wanted to get into a Cubs game, but he had his goat with him, so they would not let him in. When his admission was refused, he put a curse on the team. As we all know, the Cubs haven’t won the World Championship since then. Another interesting</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "> note...a few years ago when the Cubs were in the National League Championship Series, they were leading the </span><a href="http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=fla"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Florida Marlins</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "> late in the game. A Marlin hit a foul ball that was playable. When the Cubs’ left fielder reached into the stands to catch the ball, the infamous </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bartman"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Steve Bartman</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "> reached out and caught it first. Everyone went nuts, and Bartman had to be escorted from the “Friendly Confines.” Later, </span><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Keith Olbermann</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "> had the ball destroyed (blown up) on his show, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Countdown with Keith Olbermann.</span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">How did I get here??? Anyway, we rode the train into the city. </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here are a couple of photos that show how close the "El" runs to people's houses. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdAgPrixZfuDKwF5BMo_ypCw2SwqSQ4jttDgnn8lS4QWONlRfTmcurhyphenhyphenZwlwTOSatF3ZnegyrbiNwqmfRK8AgLkaPjMADiAEOw0wyH6V6g8XJO7Jubtgnl_M3qmqOuj22CjNOuHKOx66P/s200/IMG_8110.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215305323118883602" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5xGv1IwNGwWnyyYdcuhrd5HaumaRn_UCF_s_56ei9cCzkk2177_XtsrrT6zbd2xsxjoSgSDMHk0alq_j31RTV9YslQakRXMHMU6Kfe4X26r0OozYsaM3wjWc2sSl0fnq-Alv9UZNntjJ/s200/IMG_8107.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215305320810096322" /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We found out that the CTA has not dropped two lines at the same time (as they did this weekend) in over 47 years. So normally, the train would take 30-45 minutes to get to the city instead of 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. The trip only took an hour, which was great. However, it was raining when we got off of the train. Fortunately, the rain stopped within 10 minutes. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The kids and I all had triple cheezborgers at the Billy Goat, no fries-chips, and three pink lemonades. The food was good, but he attitude was better. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After eating, we walked back up to t<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">he street level and looked at the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribune_Tower"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Chicago </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribune_Tower"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Tribune</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "> building. It has bits of famous building from around the world placed around the front </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">and sides of the edifice. It was a unique tri<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">bute to historical places. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlVT7pzIGNzt5oyHhF-N-IDrwfkZ5JO5efP8_ezuG6CuRlV5POtDL91AJp7dUYo-csbKl3LRqeuV87tbrZAu8PMFIQZjJXc9t3IIovojCCgyesnay_-8ckAuxOfAIwRxvikNGcgolnZiT/s200/IMG_8042.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215305304293017602" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdTsuyeION-KJ6lvrJB8uTeZQL9lvhv8Dnm2ujNjdhPR8DhYKljgGNvd-oikiy_QC_0_gXHTahl9YyIHFpMk5gDT0HpqZi36-GnZTaoAq6EvVMXfsrQlig0iYCcOV0hA-ktk3lQC_0gYN/s320/IMG_8037.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215301223947724802" /> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After photographing the bits of rock from around the world, we went back to the train. However, we went to Garrett’s Popcorn (I can't get the link to work, but it's www.garrettpopcorn.com) first. Garrett’s is a Chicago mainstay (it is one of Oprah’s “favorite thin</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">gs”). We got a commemorative tin for Lou, a popcorn ball for Joe, and a giant bag of buttered popcorn for all of us to share. Now you might think tha</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">t popcorn is just popcorn, but this stuff is different. The buttered popcorn leaked through the wax bag, the first paper bag, and the second paper bag. That’s some good popcorn! </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">When we got back to the hotel, Lou the principal, and assistant principal were ready to go out to </span><a href="http://www.loumalnatis.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lou Malnati’s</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> for authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza. It was terrific! The food was great, and the company was great, too. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">That was a great way to cap off the stay in Chicago. Tomorrow, we will be heading out for points east.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Dave</span></span></p>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-47137424593133033222008-06-22T10:03:00.000-07:002008-06-22T10:29:50.846-07:00Chicago, Day 2Okay...<div>In the interest of complete disclosure, I have been lying the ENTIRE trip. I have been a day or two behind on my travelogues. Okay, whew, now that I have that off of my chest, I feel no differently than before...Oh well.</div><div>Yesterday (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">the</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">real yesterday) </span>the kids and I spent most of the day in the hotel room. We played Scrabble, a card game called "Loot," and watched "Horton Hears a Who." Lou was at an <a href="http://www.ibo.org">IBNA</a> conference all day.</div><div>When Lou's day ended, we went into Chicago on the <a href="http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/maps/fwebmaptrain.pdf">Blue Line</a> with the principal and assistant principal to get some dinner. Our trip started at the Rosemont station on the blue line. We needed to go to the "Loop." This would have been a long trip, but our necessary detour for maintenance added a full 30 minutes. SO it took 1 1/2 hours to get into the city! GROSS!</div><div>However, it was worth it, because we went to <a href="http://featuredfoods.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/a-store/eds_p1.shtml?L+scstore+xsbh2309ginosff13d713+1214166856">Ed Debevic's</a> and had a totally fun dinner. If you have never been there (it used to be a chain), it is a place where the insults fly from the first moment you walk in. It's great (the first thing the waitress did was call me a dork-pretty accurate).</div><div>We walked around for a while after dinner, and rode the train back home (two hours this direction!).</div><div>-Dave </div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-91770596622051240952008-06-22T08:52:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:47.958-08:00Greetings from Chicago<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhyyPhjE0tXEDHhPIjMSw3mluihNfASX2iT7VUsZ4_o3OT9gc00-F6_mXStgBF4E0eTPfl53vH1gTT6mQIF462cJPee8sNgHjMhNNh2cb0smusSk6ZHiMrFiibLskkGbdLTmu3w3jpSTs/s1600-h/IMG_8021.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhyyPhjE0tXEDHhPIjMSw3mluihNfASX2iT7VUsZ4_o3OT9gc00-F6_mXStgBF4E0eTPfl53vH1gTT6mQIF462cJPee8sNgHjMhNNh2cb0smusSk6ZHiMrFiibLskkGbdLTmu3w3jpSTs/s200/IMG_8021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214744537965636626" /></a><br /><br />Friday we left Minneapolis by 8 am en route to Chicago, via Madison, WI. This was a travel day that included travel bingo (yep dad, I played while driving), visiting another university, and a lot of sleep (I was hopped up on G2's and beef jerky to save off sleepiness).<div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwhaeAcyuyzLlxbHk2elX9SPE_lE0hISfTZ65vIU2ezW-y4Qk65T4bjeEW24haKQyd99r_3Yls2aj2hGmVgoLr4fbaj_s-laH6xPdhtAZ3HIz3UGuBoMY-rFfUY4k5gkdu4_G3ZvvKhKN/s200/IMG_8023.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214744626401249090" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOqAnFYoU8JrsogqbGj0s0s2DYjvcHXec47AIX9GsqFtXa7Mxbd54r6Tx-3zoU02YXvI2Kc2R3kyFE2yKNZfaWLuzrFzdLwdzlnTW1a5YAnLTuZwK7yMNt-kxgUnBAaSFbYdWi5WN6U9e/s200/IMG_8022.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214744637873844514" /><div>About 4 hours into the trip, we made it to our first destination, the <a href="http://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin</a>. </div><div>I had always wanted to visit this college because they play football in the early game on ESPN or ABC almost every Saturday, and I love watching college football. Oh, yeah, and they also are one of the most liberal campuses in the nation, and it showed. First of all, while there were people out and about at U of Minn, they were all fully clothed. At U of W, almost half of the people outside, really, were in various states of undress. There were many people sunbathing on any patch of grass they could find, including the main grass "walk" in the main part of campus, while others were studying or playing frisbee and catching some rays. The campus was very crowded and lively, which left Lou and me not really wanting to see how crowded it would be during a regular session. Anyway, the campus had some really pretty buildings, and some really ugly ones as well. Finally, the campus is on the shores of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Mendota">Lake Mendota</a>--beautiful.</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-VVpFXTB5sZ2VScAvCVS6w4jmrpP2xv0dPbiy5YuGiNctO0V7ixxxI2abTPa-p-QFrXgCdEk9T-uQHyhAe8sQrBZEmIy0PXExdIwT-2Jm-5OtwG8SqA2sKz2RZFzjK5vWuyt7IPZ0iB9/s200/IMG_8024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214744587969275954" /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After leaving Madison, we jammed as quickly as possible to Chicago. We arrived at 4 in the pm. The hotel is nice, but the coolest thing here is the <a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2008npcjrnat_preview2.htm">national junior bodybuidling championships</a> is going on right now. There are some wildly gigantic men and women here. Some look great, and some look unreal. BTW, most of them have an orangey-dark tint. In fact, I missed my turn when we were driving into the parking lot because I was watching one of the women posing on the side of the road for a photo shoot. Lou is wonderfully understanding, and for that I am forever grateful...</div><div>For dinner, we ate<a href="http://featuredfoods.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/a-store/c-GinoAns_East.shtml?E+scstore+ginos"> Gino's East</a>. We had the Meaty Legend Chicago-style pizza. TREMENDOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The BEST part of Chicago, no doubt. </div><div>-Dave</div></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-60138017919794049502008-06-21T22:22:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:48.884-08:00Twins, Golden Gophers, and a laundry fiasco<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZX4zQssl273sZCpqIepPxXVpoVWSWCy0iNGmas3Ho92IU3Up46K5W4YqZ_ImuCwFZ-rWS9VX8rRkxAW1kvsHQ3BKSwOdBejsSuomNcWuFacF9cQdibmC5zuX9MioBecoUmBd8RcRk0TOD/s1600-h/IMG_7904.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZX4zQssl273sZCpqIepPxXVpoVWSWCy0iNGmas3Ho92IU3Up46K5W4YqZ_ImuCwFZ-rWS9VX8rRkxAW1kvsHQ3BKSwOdBejsSuomNcWuFacF9cQdibmC5zuX9MioBecoUmBd8RcRk0TOD/s200/IMG_7904.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214585960318766306" /></a><br />Greetings to you all from the road!<div>Today we went to the <a href="http://twins.mlb.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> game. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQe9CTIASJCeT_XOcrxl3VTUcOenBHM97RBaLvrTFoESho_OyCA3IeuTz7YZ6k0Rp5tA-UoFNXfDW9y_pdKzof0EsqEeWcBDGtFQ3vGDGbJ-tJUkApIgfg2yZ4c2-1rifqbADRexleyd7Y/s200/IMG_7978.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214585969485363490" /> The Twins beat- no smoked- the <a href="http://nationals.com/">Nationals</a>, 9-3. We got to see two triples! Oh, and we saw EVERY elementary-aged child in the twin cities area.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The highlight of the game was getting to see our first baseball game indoors. The roof at the <a href="http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/ballpark/min_ballpark_history.jsp">Metrodome</a> is held up only by air pressure. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdnVUKqGOD8xc2fcUdrpn26Vi3Y9UIW37TQRn9APjD9XZm68TetsARlNk9PcGq6YowBA2bl8HHSLTF9LprACJKNiSwXLNctue7Wn-A0sJVp7F_q0BRLperb1oUmPg-M-rSOAF-FUG0WrX/s200/IMG_7911.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214585966194712514" />Very cool...</div><div><br /></div><div>Afterwards, we went to the <a href="http://www.umn.edu/">Univers</a><a href="http://www.umn.edu/">ity of Minnesota</a>. BEAUTIFUL!!! It's campus spans the Mississippi river. <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-I5TYgjtfTyyYGtxPegfMTRKyFAUmiVHbBc_tq5Mazluc8WeO0KbIoKkKqd5xS57u0JDZBwz3gE4YjTDuklLxTS4juzT2Oe6_lBvavZN2GFdk9o_DCM9m6Dd81-f_Mhu3b4hspIZLyGsW/s200/IMG_7998.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214585974321860978" />Most of its buildings are connected by either underground tunnels or by second story skywalks (many of the buildings in downtown Minneapolis are connected by skywalks, too).</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5OrycU_A3ANHDyOhMM8_mAEYYK96B-fOh8pL348kyCNx3RzNdAN4oAGBo1joiVpOCFL7_1j7VahPdco5VFxu3C7vQPTQj_heK7xxPZl0bTgmkn5uQ-LWdi8KOYMJGOVZxPEBqalek8OU/s200/IMG_8001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214585980738547666" /><br /></div><div>That night we needed to do laundry, so we bought some detergent and stuff from Target. When we got back to the hotel, we found out that this Hampton Inn had NO coin laundry. After Lou made about thirty minutes of phone calls, she was granted permission to do the laundry at a close Embassy Suites. More on this in the future...</div><div><br /></div><div>-Dave </div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-70946002637759550882008-06-19T19:49:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:50.272-08:00Minn-eh-so-TAHHHYep, that's how Lou has been sayin' it. She's been using that accent for as many words as possible...<div><a href="http://www.valleyfair.com/">Shakapee (Valley Fair)</a></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8N9GogjPXuHD5MCjMkDQCeyoRrXApr25hNE1zp9BcCix-wBwYgVeqm7riQMwzpaGhqeLgIHs1E7fkAp_DZyrswqqxfvWf_eCp2VPn6fJm-7OVxm4mLb1JgbvsPcj3YJAcQ7tX1PpFeZoX/s200/IMG_7866.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213809734614302018" /><br /></div><div> </div><div><a href="http://mallofamerica.com/">Mall of America</a><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoKeNUYYpS1iQZ1kAYKz6bNYyIZB0A-O8ensxegaUNKDqD0iPJnhD93wDEx_Tiga1h38u6_KLqB4LAxbi9zFMXWpcMp53nOdqVF0u9-r2twoo7UqQo_laK0tWpBUuJZm-D3YUZOLebRIq/s200/IMG_7875.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213807450744086722" /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeIJ60g2PlvyGVLv3Ad7HDyMXpLwK7NawPocaS2ZkYcxXIB7dD_hOdAU6pZacdsFsRY6kmrLckGtI5bsc2huBJpG-JsEEW3xTCqfdXE1UWe2nXbTaj3IFukennyqFoBl6QjIokYFYYAgT/s200/IMG_7874.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213807458259117874" /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKjViH3TU1245xNpKNJLBX1ANjkAf_AMm-NiXKuNeewqHwMQe9KoYBuWVpnIGhOuNguEdE_Uutkb_aG7K_Y8F3R0tbaLQa1GcSbXB4tccIasNDrw3Ta1KhauIgv273Tb7tV09b0265Nb8/s200/IMG_7873.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213807453618197122" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Yesterday (Wednesday) we spent only 5 hours at Valley Fair, the local amusement park in Shakapee. The lines were great, with the longest one being only about 15 minutes. The best ride was the <a href="http://www.valleyfair.com/public/attractions/rides/thrill_rides/renegade.cfm">Renegade</a>--- a wooden roller coaster that was extremely smooth, quick, and whipy(?). It reminded me a lot of the Psyclone at Magic Mountain. High speed...only 52 mph, but it was great and had Joe, Alison, and me giggling like crazy. (Lou will NOT do those rides. She'll tell you the reason if you ask her...) </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.valleyfair.com/public/attractions/rides/thrill_rides/wild_thing.cfm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Wild Thing</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> was the other ride highlight. It is a hypercoaster that boasts the "l</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ongest low-gravity section of any coaster in the world." Whatever, it was also a giggle producer.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">After riding all of the coaster that we wanted,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> six I believe, and eating corn dogs (reminded me of the State Fair of Texas-I even felt a little sick like I did as a kid) we changed into swim trunks and went to their water park.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The scariest thing all day was riding in a four-person tube with an extremely hairy, even more extremely large (waayyyyyy heavier than I) man. The kids and I needed another rider, and he obliged. Aside from the fact th<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; ">at our tube could not get over the initial hump to start down the five story run without a concerted effort from the lifeguard and I thought the guy was going to fold over onto Alison a time or two as his side of the raft went more than vertical, it was great! Yeah, you know I was draggin' my hand on the flume trying to slow us down, I was a little scared.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The rest of the water park was great. The kids were awesome a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; ">ll day.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Lou's highlight...although she marveled at (and was a little freaked out by) the sameness of most the people there, she never heard one curse word from any of the thousands of middle school kids there. Nor did she hear an adult speaking badly to their child in any way. Adults speaking to adults?...now that was a totally different issue altogether. ;)<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Afterwards, we went to the Mall of America (the largest shopping mall in the U.S. thanks to Edmonton). We had fried catfish and BBQ at <a href="http://famousdaves.com/">Famous Dave's BBQ</a> for dinner, then we saw their Lego store. It was better than Downtown Disney's<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; ">--even had a fully-assembled Death Star (over 3,000 pieces) and Millennium Falcon (over 5,000 pieces). Color this Star Wars geek impressed!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">BTW...what <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">IS </span>it with Minnesotans and their guns???</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU99D8udesOaC5eGUxVPbKixASoAWpXTZbTNp7kYMP9tigUiW5PtgsKyQR2iiY8NZu1hTYdroXX3cTPxrW1zmu_ljYxjzm2J-GFfDvVvLR_tcjA7eTSZGxlcSEVXgN3U4cnrmfr_dClfJl/s200/IMG_7865.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213810985712427378" /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; "><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6m_2qs6hgn8v_Nfrcv9AJMA7ankiMjrQdjBbXUhk1phY1Ez_KPULxJp4K9wI53tCpwoQPLGSWmcUfPx9BiXwZ-LcPE3R3HFATlVoHRiTy210q7B11jRtWz7uXfTyFbf8-N42fcRzrkcc/s200/IMG_7868.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213810988067097234" /></span><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">-Dave</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-86926931759852718652008-06-19T07:11:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:51.117-08:00Wall Drug, the Corn Palace, and other adventures...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYI9DweP-xn2mjzarFoRJ8kRMhnM11hm9-Bl6M2nWI6R03wrMHNBA6AZxVpJ_yMOX1EOyAdJf3f0gU2qzQpiXMB8qk5GmTPjmcuZUmI3fCKICkQZkRHC9z1IXfU6G97qbFTR5qSR8HJ6i/s1600-h/IMG_7796.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYI9DweP-xn2mjzarFoRJ8kRMhnM11hm9-Bl6M2nWI6R03wrMHNBA6AZxVpJ_yMOX1EOyAdJf3f0gU2qzQpiXMB8qk5GmTPjmcuZUmI3fCKICkQZkRHC9z1IXfU6G97qbFTR5qSR8HJ6i/s200/IMG_7796.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213602838688347970" /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We left Keystone at 9am on Tuesday. I got pulled over by a SD state trooper around 10am (he let me off). We made it to </span><a href="http://walldrug.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Wall Drug</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, the “#1 roadside attraction in the USA,” by 10:30am. After spending TWO HOURS there (yep TWO HOURS in a drug store), we got back on the road headed for Mitchell, SD. </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXWb5M8-uMGCDBGedrmbGve6ISARGMQT74hmdTBTZRibZWLGoeUSMuZ1MgLvAN8IewG9iwXddsHzKlp9mOVlnJINqH6-gDr2Ldr6jQOLGEITVLEgOfwyR0ShNe-aeXmtazLCWlcoR4hbR/s200/IMG_7813.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213603407159876450" /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvwSfUjQq-LxTHWeshBto-R1p_3mEciE4cnVpURoyhn8mmmUvKP47nONbdvjrM8fO2PTLYTZH7D3GTc9nalUclq3n0j-s8V5e7xg3nZbQMaPRtc3zPHy5tz637V6WJHf3KvhQE3Xjc0BG/s200/cornpic.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213605094417906130" /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We arrived in Mitchell around 3:30. Our reason for going to Mitchell? </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"></span><a href="http://cornpalace.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The World’s Only Corn Palace</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, of course!</span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is a building that is decorated on the inside and out with corn and other grains. It costs $130,000 to decorate the outside every year! This place was hilarious, but it actually is an arena that seats 3200 people, and gets a lot of use. The people working inside were great, too. Believe it or not, we spent over an hour here. However, we did leave with souvenirs, so I guess it was an hour well spent.</span></span></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"></p><div><br /></div><p></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We continued on into Minnesota, visiting the hometown of a friend of ours and eating at a place called </span><a href="http://pizzaranch.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“Pizza Ranch.”</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> All of the food that we had was great except for the cole slaw---it was may too mayonaiseey. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Finally, we completed this leg of our journey by arriving in Bloomington (a suburb of the Twin Cities) at 11:30 pm, Tuesday night.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So...in just over 50 hours after we left home, we had seen Vegas, Salt Lake City, Park City (home of the olympics), Wyoming (whatever), Mt Rushmore, Wall Drug, the Corn Palace, been puled over by a highway patrol, eaten a bowl of mayo, er, cole slaw, and driven through 6 states. Whirlwind you say? Nah! We're just getting started! </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I'd give more info, but I'm quite sleepy...</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Dave</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-84883360273580063682008-06-18T22:01:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:40:51.321-08:00Day One of our Family’s Summer Vacation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqSCk2NoZ0Tn3ycE6-xK019ZnrPZws-Ez3hqOYhLQDZpBnORfaZB0ajBWPICVRnlkMb4dUG9pWLDGb9O3cVxf2sWSqLkJ1Gr_vc8gPmQ7ecKN7AQjnmHAhMplpc2QJv-PV_HQZyQQyVYG/s1600-h/IMG_7773.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqSCk2NoZ0Tn3ycE6-xK019ZnrPZws-Ez3hqOYhLQDZpBnORfaZB0ajBWPICVRnlkMb4dUG9pWLDGb9O3cVxf2sWSqLkJ1Gr_vc8gPmQ7ecKN7AQjnmHAhMplpc2QJv-PV_HQZyQQyVYG/s320/IMG_7773.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213458712715786402" /></a><br /><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> We are a little bit under the gun this summer, because weed need to be in Chicago by Friday the 20th, and of course, my daughter had three dance recitals on Saturday and Sunday (the 14th and 15th). So we had to get out of Dodge as soon as her shows were over.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">First, I need to back up a bit...</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">This is our fourth summer in a row where we have taken a big family vacation.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The first one was an eight-day trip around California where we almost completely relied on trains and public transportation. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The following year we took a 33-day car trip around the USA. We saw D.C, Philly, NYC, Chicago, Boston, Cape Cod, Memphis, and topped it off with a family get-together at the Grand Canyon.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Last year we took a vacation that lasted 17 days, with a week being spent in Chicago. We added a twist to that vacation by conducting it in the <a href="http://alpha.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race12/">“Amazing Race”</a> style. Every morning I would give the kids an envelope with a clue about our destination. Before we could get on the road, the kids would have to solve the clue. All of our vacations have been great.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Now that you’re up to speed, we left the house in La Quinta on Sunday night at 7pm. We drove through the night, passing through Vegas and most of Utah. The sun came up as we were traveling around the eastern edge of Salt Lake City. (Utah is ridiculously beautiful, btw.) We pressed on through Wyoming, and arrived in Keystone, SD (two miles from Mt. Rushmore) at 4pm local time, Monday afternoon.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">That evening we went to <a href="http://www.nps.gov/moru/">Rushmore </a>(we could see the faces from our hotel room). It was a much nicer experience than it was 16 years ago. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">-Dave</p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div>dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168633248336322107.post-83349914140141678832008-06-15T00:52:00.000-07:002008-06-15T00:55:29.600-07:00The first postOkay, I spent at least ten seconds thinking of that catchy title, so this post must perform up to par. This is my first post. Good, I met that standard.dave sexsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206577262802762375noreply@blogger.com0