Just ducky...

Avid readers of Tribulations (oh, you know who you are) might be wondering if I have drifted off to some extended hiatus...perhaps taking time to find that novel in me or circumnavigate the globe. Well...nothing quite so grand, but I certainly have been bouncing around. So, let's rewind nearly two weeks with some notes and photos that were supposed to be posts of their own.

A brief 15-hours in Seattle...in Monday evening (late), up for an early briefing, and an early afternoon flight home. No room for a proper meal at Two Bells :( Captured another view from the Seattle Hilton.

Home to SF to host Brooks for two nights. Drinks on the town both evenings.

Saturday in the park. A long walk through the myriad of "rooms" at the SF Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park. Stealthy squirrels surprised us as they chased each other through the underbrush. Lunch at the de Young. Made yummy chili for dinner.



Another week, another trip. Off to Orlando early Sunday for a week of meetings and a conference. Stayed at the charming Peabody...where they still hold their famous duck march twice daily to a grand Sousa soundtrack. Picked up silly exhibit tchotchkes. Got a fake parrot tattoo.






Spent a few free hours Thursday evening at Disney World's Epcot. I am still inspired by Spaceship Earth and its history of human communications...but boy is it looking dated. Sponsor Siemens still makes me chuckle. Refurbished ocean exhibit to a Finding Nemo theme was a pleasant surprise. Fireworks were delightful...but needed Jeff at my side. (Heard later that Jeff had to clean up Buster's throw up in the living room...really wished Jeff was with me instead.)





Flew home Friday morning...a hazy, humid central Florida morning. First leg...a large man the temperature of the Sun sat down next to me. Second leg...upgrade...aaaahhhhhh...although the man sitting next to me took off his shoes AND socks. Good thing there was free wine.

I leave you with the most ridiculous item from the past two weeks. I couldn't resist snapping a photo of the Urine Off sales crew at the conference I was attending. This just goes to show the range of products and services available to the discerning customer. As the tagline states..."the name says it all".

Good friends and good conversation...

Business trips are generally jam-packed with activities morning, noon, and might. But on this trip, I was able to steal away for a few hours and catch up...at least a bit.

Last night after dinner, my dear buddy Ashish met me for a late latte (or chai tea in his case). We sat outside in the Reston Towncenter, much like we did when I lived here. The air was warm with a light breeze...perfect Virginia weather.

And tonight, I drove out to visit with Ginger and James. As usual, our conversations jumped all over the place...the true measure of depth in a friendship is how many topics we can cram into two short hours. (That's Cynthia up above...done with visiting, time for a nap.)

And now Virginia...

I awoke early (again) in Denver, setting off blue static electricity sparks with every tug of the bed sheet. I called TWICE yesterday afternoon to verify that I would have a cab ready to take me to the airport, but no cab was waiting for me when I checked out. Nope. Why bother? So that started off the day stressfully, with pockets of traffic and a LONG cross-town drive to the Denver airport.

But frankly, this frantic airport experience underscores why obtaining (and retaining) airline status matters. Being a Premier Executive with United means that they really do cut corners for you at the airpirt. The short VIP lines everywhere are the only thing that made it possible to catch my flight on time.

Anyhow. Tonight, I'm in a comfy room at the Hyatt in Reston...mere blocks from my former townhouse. The view from my room is to the west, overlooking the Reston Towncenter. I can just make out the faint line of the Appalachians, although you certainly can't see that in the window photo above. Perhaps the morning sun will set off the mountains in some dramatic fashion.

Pesky groundhogs...

I realize that groundhogs are pests...but they are adorable pests...and they are EVERYWHERE in this town. They poke their tiny heads from every grassy knoll in sight. They particularly seemed to like the safe haven inside the fence of the Denver Federal Center, where I had my meeting today.

BUT WHERE WERE THEY WHEN I TOOK MY CAMERA OUT THIS AFTERNOON? Hmmmmm? Trying to make a liar out of me!

Sure...I found a dinosaur...

...and a seahorse...

...and an old shoe...a burned old shoe...(I mean really, who burns a shoe?)

Nevertheless, this afternoon, the sun was just right for my obligatory hotel window shot. My view is to the east...hence the lack of mountains...or any discernible landmark. There were some dramatic dark clouds building throughout the afternoon, but no prairie thunderstorms developed today.

Dinner tonight was at a fantastic restaurant downtown: Zengo. My host Sarah split a couple of divine entrees with me: the braised short ribs and the black cod. YUM.

Finally, I was also playing around with some of the photos I took this weekend, including this wonderful shot of a truthfully labeled shipping line. Fantastic! Must be a sale weekend at Target :) The second shot was a creative housing solution sandwiched between two containers.

Fox and rabbit...

I flew to Denver this afternoon to begin a week-long road trip. Unfortunately, I arrived at my lovely Hampton Suites room after the sun had fallen below the Rockies, so this taxi view of the airport will have to replace my hotel window photo for today. Plus, the Denver airport is one of my favorites, because of the mountain-peak room of the main terminal.

Tonight, I grabbed a quick dinner at the Old Chicago pizza restaurant near the hotel, sitting in the bar watching bull rodeo. On the way to dinner, I crossed paths with a light-brown fox carrying a rabbit in his mouth. We gave each other the knowing glances of two hungry souls as we scurried past each other.

This nature sighting (and a pizza with a perfect crust) put the finishing touches on a really nice weekend...albeit far too short. The other weekend highlight was my spring photo show at Ft. Mason. I can't show THOSE pictures, because I downloaded them on the computer at home. Suffice it to say, the show was another success. I sold a respectable four photos this time...so the show actually paid for itself for once :)

The true cost of laziness...

These two gas stations are directly across the street from one another in SF. I took these photos as I was filling up this afternoon. (Good thing is a beautiful sunny day.) Now, some might say that the cost of a gallon at the Chevron station is outrageous enough, but what the heck is in the Shell gasoline? Sadly...or oddly...there was actually one customer over at the Shell station. How elitist of them. Perhaps their gasoline came in a champagne flute.

East and west...

I awoke this morning at 4:30 in Kansas City, caught an early flight to Philadelphia, delivered a well-received briefing, and hopped an evening flight home. Sorry to disappoint, but no hotel photo tonight...although I will tell you that the view of downtown Philly from our office is pretty darn nice.

Non-descript hotel. Oversold flights. Blah blah blah. The highlight of the trip was definitely dinner last night with my coworker Steve in KC. He is a foodie, and was determined to break my habit of disappointing travel meals. We went to a local spot called 40 Sardines. At the recommendation of the waiter, I tried the wild boar, and it was rich and amazing. The moist chocolate torte for dessert didn't hurt at all.

In any case, there is really no place like home.

Next stop...Kansas City...

I just know that everyone has been waiting with baited breath for a new hotel window photo! Well, who am I to stand in the way of art...here is Kansas City. (Overland Park, KS to be precise.) Fun huh?

Otherwise, not much at all to report from Kansas City. I got upgraded on my flight in this afternoon, which is really amazing since both legs were 100% full.

Did someone say Paris?...

Well, no...I don't think anyone did say Paris, but I was looking through my Paris shots for some Strangers photos, and ran across this one that made me laugh. Sooooo cool and soooo French...but soooo not ready for me to photograph him :)

But I also worked with some of my shots in the Paris Metro and RER. I really love subway shots, and these shots are just vivid and interesting to me.

Seattle in 24 hours...

In my ongoing series of views from Hilton window, I present Seattle. This Hilton gets bonus points for having a bay window, which gives the visitor a much better view of the city.

I was in town to give a presentation, and even though my stay was short, I really had a fantastic time. The highlight was a dinner with my buddy Jeff at our regular haunt...Two Bells. We spent most of the time talking about all the stuff going on at Tech. Jeff was proudly decked out in his orange and maroon gear.

Lastly, I snapped this shot at the Seattle airport this afternoon on my return home. The UV coating on the windows created this dramatic sky.

Once a Hokie, always a Hokie...

I was really amazed today just how many people reached out to me to express their sadness...sympathy...outrage...something...at the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. Frankly, I didn't know some of these people knew I ever went to Tech. After all...I am living on the opposite coast and it has been a while since I was there. Just a short while. Let me put it this way...I had quite the full head of hair back then (check out my 'do below). Nevertheless, I was touched by the outpouring of concern.

Of course, I also had this horrible feeling as I watched the video footage splashed across every news site. I knew that this small, simple place where I had spent five amazing years was no longer a secret just between me and my friends. Horrific things aren't supposed to happen at OUR Virginia Tech.

I hope that this media frenzy dies down quickly, so that we can pray for our fellow Hokies...and simpler times.

I thought I would share some old photos that I took during my freshman year...1986. This is truly the most beautiful campus anywhere.

Spring in the garden...

Today is a garden day...time to peel away some of the rainy-season's overgrowth to let the plants soak up the sun.

Flying with too many people...

I returned home late last night from a few days in DC attending a conference. The trip certainly had its highlights--a fantastic conference, an all-too-short visit with James and Ginger, a delicious tapas recommendation (Jaleo in DC) from fellow-traveler and co-worker Anders, and fun conversations with my Virginia coworkers who I don't see often.

But there are hard truths of business travel as well. One is that no matter how much you fly, you will still occasionally end up in the back of a full plane. (This plane was FULL of young teenagers heading to or from Spring Break.) Another truth is that the world can look pretty darn similar through your hotel window...no matter the city. (Below, you can check out DC and Atlanta from an "executive level" room. Don't get me wrong...it could be much worse...I know.)


Regardless...I returned home to my loving partner, a comfy bed with just-right pillows, and a refreshing light rain.

Easter seals...

Today was a beautiful Easter Sunday in San Francisco. We indulged in some chocolate Easter candies, decorated some colorful eggs, and prepared a delicious pot roast for dinner. Before those festivities, we drove south along the coast to Año Nuevo State Park, which is famous as a breeding ground for Elephant Seals. This time of year, this adults have left the young pups on their own. The adult males head north to Alaska, and the females south towards Hawaii. The pups (pictured here) eat, grow, and practice swimming in the protected rocky shoreline.

Atlanta...

I flew to Atlanta today for a client meeting tomorrow. This evening, with a few hours to kill, I walked from my hotel over to the Olympic Centennial Park. I didn't notice much going on, but I did snap a few photos along the way.

First is this shot of two downtown buildings with no fewer than six or seven connecting skyways between them. Clearly, these people do NOT want to go outside!

I had read about the Postal Service's promotional mail box coverings to promote their new Star Wars stamps, but I had not seen one of the R2-D2 mailboxes in SF. I spotted this one by the CNN center. (James, this shot is for you, since you had mentioned the stamps.)

Finally, I just had to snap this photo of the local PTA (yes...the Parent Teacher Association) and their odd neighbor, the Goose Bumps Adult Fantasy Bar.

New graffiti, new car...

It has been a while since I last posted some graffiti photos, but not for lack of interest. I still travel through my favorite back streets in Bayshore a few mornings a week, but nothing has jumped out at me. Nevertheless, industrial neighborhoods are ever-changing, and I found some new shots this weekend that caught my eye.


But I suppose the big news of the weekend is the unexpected demise of my beloved Audi A4...a car I have enjoyed driving for the past nine years. It seems that the hills of SF are quite a wear on an aging manual transmission, and this week my A4 cried out "Uncle!". So, rather than pay exorbitant cash to temporarily band-aid my aging car, I test drove a few replacement candidates and took the plunge. This time around, I decided that look for a city-sized car...but still keep a sense of style. I instantly fell in love with the zippy Audi A3.