Up on a Friday morning, and off again to Mickey D's. This time however they stopped serving breakfast 5 minutes early (grrr), so off we went in search of food. Lucky for us Sonic served breakfast all day...score!
This was a real laid back day. In the early afternoon, after dealing with a pouty Sam, I went to the clubhouse pool, and did some relaxing. The weather was simply divine. When I came back, Laurie had worked her magic on Sam and now he was agreeable to anything I wanted. However I really wanted him to enjoy the pool so back we went. We took a quick dip, then I layed out again (ahhhh), and returned back in time for dinner.
Joining us was my friend John Tinker, who I had never met other than phone conversations. Great guy, and a great dinner too. Dessert rocked thanks to Sam picking out the Oreo pie...BIG yum! As the night went on Sam left to play with kids at the clubhouse bball courts, and Jim, Laurie, John and I sat and chatted the night away. Well, as much as Jim could muster. First Laurie retired around 9, then we broke up about 10. So time to pack and get ready for the drive home.
We woke up a bit early on Saturday morning since we were going to visit my high school friend Bob Amar in Ganesville. He's been there for a dozen years, but I never visited him. Last time I saw his wife Shawna was in 2000...with a REALLY small Sam. So we said our goodbyes to Jim and Laurie, and off we went.
About two hours later we arrived in Ganesville, and ready to join the Amar family (with his two small sons Evan and Jacob) for a University of Florida spring football game. So we piled into his minivan and off to the game. After a while we parked and walked to the stadium - which is called "The Swamp" (has an official name...I don't care). We paid the $5 per ticket cost, and went inside. The place was only a quarter filled...thank goodness. Such a huge place - holds up to 90K easily. We didn't stay long - Bob's kids were getting hot, and so was Sam. We left, went back to Bob's house where I wrestled a bit with his boys...then hit the road.
Our next destination was Chattanooga, and we beat feet (or wheels in this case) up there, and arrived at 11pm. Got double beds too...score! Ready for our last day...on Easter no less.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Run to the Sun - Day 6
For the first time in our trip, we had no idea what this day held in store for us. Once again Sam and I awake at the crack of 10am, and head towards Micky D's for b-fast. However, when we get back, we have no plans. Laurie was home and clued us in on some ideas, such as a laser tag place. In the end, I took another look at the Frozen Four tickets, and they had come down to $50 each...so I took 'em.
Now the Frozen Four is the Final Four for NCAA men's hockey. Some genius thought it would be great to have Tampa host an event where the main participants all reside north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Now for the Super Bowl that works...but not so much with college hockey. For 2012, the four teams competing are Union College in NY, Boston College, Ferris St. from MI, and Minnesota. Union and Ferris are quite small, with Union only having an enrollment of just over 2,200. Compare that to Minnesota's hefty 50K student body, and you can understand the charm of this event. This would NEVER happen in college basketball.
So we set out once again for the Tampa Bay Times Forum, where we were on Monday night. Now the place is all decked out in Frozen Four stuff, and Sam being impatient wanted to get in right away. We did - 70 minutes before the first game. LOTS of time on our hands. To my dismay the seats we got were right under the bands...and when they played...WOW! So we moved to a spot near center ice, and caught both games there. Like I said, smart to host this in Tampa - the place was barely 3/4 full. Teams like Ferris and Union don't travel well...if at all.
Sam as usual made friends with those sitting by us, and we saw Ferris St. beat Union in the first game. Pretty sloppy - and definitely not the NHL. Still was entertaining, and nice to see a school never winning having a chance at a title. The second game turned into a rout. Boston College is the number one team in the country - and for a good reason. They good! Although Minnesota was the aggressor - BC was the finisher. We left the Forum when the score was 4-0, and it was 6-1 BC when we finally left downtown. Oy.
That was basically it. Still no real plans for tomorrow afternoon...
Now the Frozen Four is the Final Four for NCAA men's hockey. Some genius thought it would be great to have Tampa host an event where the main participants all reside north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Now for the Super Bowl that works...but not so much with college hockey. For 2012, the four teams competing are Union College in NY, Boston College, Ferris St. from MI, and Minnesota. Union and Ferris are quite small, with Union only having an enrollment of just over 2,200. Compare that to Minnesota's hefty 50K student body, and you can understand the charm of this event. This would NEVER happen in college basketball.
So we set out once again for the Tampa Bay Times Forum, where we were on Monday night. Now the place is all decked out in Frozen Four stuff, and Sam being impatient wanted to get in right away. We did - 70 minutes before the first game. LOTS of time on our hands. To my dismay the seats we got were right under the bands...and when they played...WOW! So we moved to a spot near center ice, and caught both games there. Like I said, smart to host this in Tampa - the place was barely 3/4 full. Teams like Ferris and Union don't travel well...if at all.
Sam as usual made friends with those sitting by us, and we saw Ferris St. beat Union in the first game. Pretty sloppy - and definitely not the NHL. Still was entertaining, and nice to see a school never winning having a chance at a title. The second game turned into a rout. Boston College is the number one team in the country - and for a good reason. They good! Although Minnesota was the aggressor - BC was the finisher. We left the Forum when the score was 4-0, and it was 6-1 BC when we finally left downtown. Oy.
That was basically it. Still no real plans for tomorrow afternoon...
Run to the Sun - Day 5
Another day, another breakfast at McDonalds. I could think of whole lot worse things than starting your day on McGriddles...right?
Today's adventure took us to St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field - home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The game was the last exhibition for the team, and they were playing the "Future Rays" - or a bunch of guys from the minors. We got there in plenty of time since Sam wanted to get a good seat, but when we did get there, he found some young kids and hung with them - in the handicapped section in the concourse. Even so he was able to snag as many as 6, SIX, baseballs from batting practice. Not too shabby.
The game itself was a bore, but it was nice to see the starters from the Rays play a few meaningful innings. The dome itself wasn't as bad as I thought - not as sterile. Looking around I know the team did as much as they could to bring character to a facility built quick on the cheap, and really not meant for baseball. The dome itself not only slopes down towards the outfield, but has no less then two levels of catwalks (??) which practically interfere with fly balls. I've been to domes before, and still have no clue why this stadium has so many of these walks. Another weird thing was that only 5,000 showed up - if that - and due to the small crowd, you could practically hear a pin drop between pitches (save for the loudmouth fans that want to hear themselves echo).
After the game we headed to downtown Tampa, to a spot called Ybor City, to meet up with Chris Berger, who is the younger brother of my high school bud Brian. He lives in the Tampa area and works in Sarasota. We both arrived a bit late since traffic was nuts. Sam and I got stuck on the bridge crossing over the bay...lovely. Chris was even later. Ybor City is a historic cigar-making district gone nightlife spot with bars everywhere...dotted by tattoo parlors. It's basically a duplicate of the French Quarter in New Orleans...even down to the architecture. We had a nice dinner at a local brewpub, and headed back.
We arrived back at Jim and Laurie's to actually see them before their bedtime. I took a nice walk with Jim around his neighborhood to catch up on some issues. After I returned Sam was itching to play basketball, so we found an old ball outside a daycare nearby, and shot around. Then a bit of tennis afterward, and played until the lights shut down on us. We came back, showered...and off to pillow world.
Today's adventure took us to St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field - home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The game was the last exhibition for the team, and they were playing the "Future Rays" - or a bunch of guys from the minors. We got there in plenty of time since Sam wanted to get a good seat, but when we did get there, he found some young kids and hung with them - in the handicapped section in the concourse. Even so he was able to snag as many as 6, SIX, baseballs from batting practice. Not too shabby.
The game itself was a bore, but it was nice to see the starters from the Rays play a few meaningful innings. The dome itself wasn't as bad as I thought - not as sterile. Looking around I know the team did as much as they could to bring character to a facility built quick on the cheap, and really not meant for baseball. The dome itself not only slopes down towards the outfield, but has no less then two levels of catwalks (??) which practically interfere with fly balls. I've been to domes before, and still have no clue why this stadium has so many of these walks. Another weird thing was that only 5,000 showed up - if that - and due to the small crowd, you could practically hear a pin drop between pitches (save for the loudmouth fans that want to hear themselves echo).
After the game we headed to downtown Tampa, to a spot called Ybor City, to meet up with Chris Berger, who is the younger brother of my high school bud Brian. He lives in the Tampa area and works in Sarasota. We both arrived a bit late since traffic was nuts. Sam and I got stuck on the bridge crossing over the bay...lovely. Chris was even later. Ybor City is a historic cigar-making district gone nightlife spot with bars everywhere...dotted by tattoo parlors. It's basically a duplicate of the French Quarter in New Orleans...even down to the architecture. We had a nice dinner at a local brewpub, and headed back.
We arrived back at Jim and Laurie's to actually see them before their bedtime. I took a nice walk with Jim around his neighborhood to catch up on some issues. After I returned Sam was itching to play basketball, so we found an old ball outside a daycare nearby, and shot around. Then a bit of tennis afterward, and played until the lights shut down on us. We came back, showered...and off to pillow world.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Run to the Sun - day 4
Today was interesting. At least it started off better at McDonalds, but I think those employees are whacked out. Got my order wrong in the drive thru. Whatev.
Another spring training game, this time at the Blue Jays home in Dunedin...which is very near the Gulf of Mexico. Same teams as yesterday, but this time the Jays pulled it out. Good thing too since Sam bought himself a sharp jersey and hat. Apparently he likes the Jays (?). Like yesterday he made fast friends with whomever he could. Unlike yesterday we were able to get seats in the last row, in the shade, and having the great Gulf winds keep us cool. Ahhhh.
After that we wound our way south to famous Clearwater Beach. Such a nifty place. Not sure how they are able to squeeze so many folks on a tiny, narrow island - but they manage. We snaked our way to a spot by the beach, got changed and headed out. Both of us swam at first, but Sam wasn't happy very shortly after and we had to abort. So we changed back, and headed to Crabby Bill's for dinner. Then we set off on a nice little walk around the beach area, and then headed back south. We found a county park beach, and went there to enjoy the sunset.
From there it was finally back home, but not all was done just yet. Sam wanted to go to WalMart at midnight, and so we went. It's vacation time, ok? I did end up getting some nice stuff, so no loss! Glad we didn't sunburn, so at least we should sleep good.
Another spring training game, this time at the Blue Jays home in Dunedin...which is very near the Gulf of Mexico. Same teams as yesterday, but this time the Jays pulled it out. Good thing too since Sam bought himself a sharp jersey and hat. Apparently he likes the Jays (?). Like yesterday he made fast friends with whomever he could. Unlike yesterday we were able to get seats in the last row, in the shade, and having the great Gulf winds keep us cool. Ahhhh.
After that we wound our way south to famous Clearwater Beach. Such a nifty place. Not sure how they are able to squeeze so many folks on a tiny, narrow island - but they manage. We snaked our way to a spot by the beach, got changed and headed out. Both of us swam at first, but Sam wasn't happy very shortly after and we had to abort. So we changed back, and headed to Crabby Bill's for dinner. Then we set off on a nice little walk around the beach area, and then headed back south. We found a county park beach, and went there to enjoy the sunset.
From there it was finally back home, but not all was done just yet. Sam wanted to go to WalMart at midnight, and so we went. It's vacation time, ok? I did end up getting some nice stuff, so no loss! Glad we didn't sunburn, so at least we should sleep good.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Run to the Sun 2012...Days 1, 2 & 3
Yes, back on another trip - this time revisiting Florida with Sam. We first came here together back in 2007 for a shuttle launch. This time he "landed" in my lap for spring break, so I thought why not? Besides, my good friends Jim and Laurie have been practically begging us to stay with them near Tampa. I think I only planned this two weeks in advance...I guess I thrive on spontaneity.
I am writing this after our third day, since it's hard to write and drive. Took us two days to get down here. Didn't start really well though. First I heard a funny rattling sound under my drivers wheel, and took it to Honda for a check. An hour later they did say something was wrong, but didn't have the part. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious. Then as we just entered the highway, I remembered that I forgot his Xbox controllers. Yep...drove back. All said and done we finally left by noon...and already had a room waiting north of Atlanta.
With a whole lotta time wasted, I drove like mad. Averaged about 85 all the way down, and predictably arrived in record time - about 9 hours. We tried to go to a Dave and Busters next door, but that was insane. Settled for some cheesy bread at Domino's. The next day we headed down to Florida, and made it in time for dinner. Jim and Laurie took us out for pizza, and afterwards Sam decided to shoot around with some kids at a nearby park. Great weather of course, and before we slept we took a joyride into downtown Tampa. Yippie!
We enjoyed an excellent night of sleep in our room, and after a short chat with Laurie, we headed to Lakeland to take in a Tigers spring training game against the Jays. When we got to the box office, we heard that only standing room was left, but low and behold the ticket agent slipped us two FREE box seats...and we were set. We then sat in the beautiful Florida sun and soaked in a great game - with all the regular players starting since opening day was this week. Although Sam was pulling for the Jays (?), the Tigers took the game (we think...left in the 8th), which was punctuated by a mammoth home run by Prince Fielder (it went as high as it did long...seriously).
To beat the crowds, we headed back and spoke to both Laurie and Jim about our great experience. Not much time since we scored tickets to a Tampa Bay Lightning game. We showered and headed out. Our seats were WAY up on top, but a great view anyhow. The game itself was a treat, with the 'Bolts winning in the last minute...good times. Afterwards we wandered over to a local sports bar to catch the NCAA men's championship game. Sam of course ignored that and started playing with guys in their 20's, and making bets on pop-a-shot. He beat them and won $10. I need to take some lessons from him.
Great first full day in FLA.
I am writing this after our third day, since it's hard to write and drive. Took us two days to get down here. Didn't start really well though. First I heard a funny rattling sound under my drivers wheel, and took it to Honda for a check. An hour later they did say something was wrong, but didn't have the part. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious. Then as we just entered the highway, I remembered that I forgot his Xbox controllers. Yep...drove back. All said and done we finally left by noon...and already had a room waiting north of Atlanta.
With a whole lotta time wasted, I drove like mad. Averaged about 85 all the way down, and predictably arrived in record time - about 9 hours. We tried to go to a Dave and Busters next door, but that was insane. Settled for some cheesy bread at Domino's. The next day we headed down to Florida, and made it in time for dinner. Jim and Laurie took us out for pizza, and afterwards Sam decided to shoot around with some kids at a nearby park. Great weather of course, and before we slept we took a joyride into downtown Tampa. Yippie!
We enjoyed an excellent night of sleep in our room, and after a short chat with Laurie, we headed to Lakeland to take in a Tigers spring training game against the Jays. When we got to the box office, we heard that only standing room was left, but low and behold the ticket agent slipped us two FREE box seats...and we were set. We then sat in the beautiful Florida sun and soaked in a great game - with all the regular players starting since opening day was this week. Although Sam was pulling for the Jays (?), the Tigers took the game (we think...left in the 8th), which was punctuated by a mammoth home run by Prince Fielder (it went as high as it did long...seriously).
To beat the crowds, we headed back and spoke to both Laurie and Jim about our great experience. Not much time since we scored tickets to a Tampa Bay Lightning game. We showered and headed out. Our seats were WAY up on top, but a great view anyhow. The game itself was a treat, with the 'Bolts winning in the last minute...good times. Afterwards we wandered over to a local sports bar to catch the NCAA men's championship game. Sam of course ignored that and started playing with guys in their 20's, and making bets on pop-a-shot. He beat them and won $10. I need to take some lessons from him.
Great first full day in FLA.
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