I'm leaving tomorrow on my big adventure for the year--two week vacation in New York! I'm meeting my dad at my brother Steve's house where he will be housesitting while they go to Europe for their 2nd wedding anniversary. I didn't want to just fly up there so since I've always wanted to take an Amtrak adventure I thought this would be the perfect time. And I decided to make a bigger adventure out of my trip by not driving to Jacksonville. I’m going to hop on a Greyhound bus to Jacksonville and then take a city bus to the Amtrak Station. That way I won’t have to worry about the car breaking down or getting broken into while sitting unattended in the Amtrak parking lot for two weeks. The bus ticket isn’t any more than what it would have been to put gas in my car drive there ;-) This will also give me practice for bigger and better trips when I venture out on my own. I'm really looking forward to this and of course I will journalize all the details. In fact, to help with my writing, I decided to splurge and buy a portable, fold-up keyboard for my Palm. I've already tried it out and it is WONDERFUL. A lot better than trying to use the stylus and a lot faster too.
I really need this vacation too. I've been feeling so stressed and run-down lately because of work. We have been working real hard on getting this new system in place. It's been a real big deal as it is the first major change of its kind in 28 years of Personnel history in the Air Force. It's kind of funny though that I'm starting my vacation on the very same day that the system is going live for the first time. I didn't plan it that way and in a small way, I wanted to be around for the initialization but this trip has been planned for 6 months now and with my ticket already being purchased then I really didn't have much choice. I'll call periodically though and my co-workers promised to keep me updated. In fact, that was one of the conditions that leadership placed on their approving my leave, was if I kept in touch. Almost made me feel important ;-) Almost...
On special note, Freddie the Fish passed away last night :-( Jonathan had given him to me last year for Mother's Day and I thought it was time that I actually cleaned out the fish bowl and when I did I forgot that you are supposed to fill the temporary bowl with the old water too. So I plopped him in the clean fresh water and it was just too much of a shock to him and consequently he died within 24 hours. I'm feel really bad about it :-(
I'm preparing for my adventure today by first trying out my new keyboard for my Palm. I can already tell that this was a VERY good investment!
I'm heading to Walmart shortly to get some last minute items that I need like another pill dispenser and an umbrella. Then I'll come home and start packing my backpack. That's all I'm taking since I already sent my clothes ahead courtesy of the US Post Office.
DAY 1 - NYC BOUND
Today is the day and I'm up and adam and ready to go… as soon as I take my shower that is ;-) I've been busy on the Internet searching for information about places I'd like to go if Dad and I decide to venture into NYC. I'd like to go up in the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building and go to Times Square. Ride the subway, eat a slice of New York Pizza, and just experience the awesome nature of being in the Big Apple.
8 AM
Jonathan and I departed for the Greyhound Bus station shortly after 8 and got there a little early. I always seem to arrive early so that I don't have to spaz over anything. The bus ended up being about 15 minutes late but that gave me plenty of time to purchase my ticket, go to the restroom twice, and smoke two cigarettes. Yes, probably nerves ;-) I really hate the initial boarding of the bus because more often than not you have to choose who you are going to sit by and inconvenience as noone really wants you to invade their space. I never did :-) But I got through it and settled down to read my book. After, of course, I took in my surroundings. The bus was full of your average type bus riders... Lower income mostly with a few like me. And a mixture of young and old, male and female.
I changed buses in Lake City FL and had to go through the seat choosing rigmarole again. This time the bus was nearly full so everyone that had been on originally was subject to being inconvenienced so it didn't bother me as much. Both times, I chose a good seat although I was playing the odds as the individual was off the bus at the time I boarded. They were both young females and both were untalkative which suited me just fine.
I arrived in Jacksonville at 11:30 AM and immediately searched for the bus stop. It was right where it was supposed to be so I caught the first bus that came along which just happened to be the moment I got to the sign. What perfect timing!
The city bus ride was an hour long. It took me through the most undesirable parts of town, but I wasn't afraid because I knew my stop was at the end of the line and surely had to be in a better neighborhood. The bus stop for the Amtrak Station was right out front so all I had to do was cross the street and I was there. Not bad for75 cents.
I did make a major mistake though... I assumed that there would be a snack bar at the train station, but no such luck. I should have eaten downtown when I had the chance. Thankfully, I had some crackers and some chek mix to munch on as I was there waiting for 4 hours. At least now I know and when I return I know that I better eat either breakfast on the train or wait til I get to the bus station. Or maybe both as I will have several hours to kill on the way back.
The train was a half late but it really didn't phase me much since I'm not on a time schedule... I'm on vacation! I did call the office to check in and found out the transition to the new computer system was delayed a day. Go figure... I'll check in again tomorrow as I do have a definite interest in this.
Anyway, the train finally arrived and I still had no clue as to how the seating arrangement was going to be. Again, that is one of those situations I can't stand. They called for boarding and I gave my ticket to the conductor as requested and he told me to go to location 9. I knew what he meant already because I had scoped the place out. I mean what else are you going to do for 4 long hours :-) I hiked my backpack up on to my back and followed the crowd to location 9. There was another train person at the entrance and bless his heart, he was assigning seats based on destination. You wouldn't believe how relieved I was. I know... silly me.
My seat assignment was #20 to the right however, I ended up in #19 by the window because this very nice lady had her granddaughters with her and wanted to sit near them. Who was I to argue, as I really wanted the window seat so that I could experience the total sensation of my first train ride. So here I sit stretched out in a very comfortable coach seat pounding away on my new keyboard. The seats recline and even have the leg part too. (I can't remember what that is called at the moment.) Very roomy too. Much better than a Greyhound bus and even an airplane. It has a 120v outlet on the wall too with a nice size window that has a curtain available to close if you so choose. Yes, very nice indeed.
The nice lady next to me and her granddaughters were headed to the snack bar and so I asked if I could tag along to see where it was located. She knew it was my first train ride so she understood perfectly and said, "sure, come on along." So I experienced the wobbly train walk down each car where you have to press a big button to open the doors between cars. If you have an aversion to lots of swaying movement then a train is not for you. I didn't think it was too bad though although you should at least have one hand free to catch yourself if need be plus to hit the buttons. I also learned that the hard way, but I was able to do a quick juggle and didn't spill anything. I found the smoking car as well so with food in my tummy and a cigarette to boot I was happy. There are smoking hours by the way. Like the one I just had was the 4:30 to 5:00 PM session and the next one is at 8:00 PM; however, one can also get off the train at some stops to have a quick one. Important things to know if you are addicted. Other things to know are about the dinner reservations. For a pretty penny you can make either a 5, 6:30, or 8 pm dinner reservation in the dining car. They announce when you can proceed to each one. I opted not to spend my precious money on such a deal especially since I'm not ready to try the solo dining experience. I'm working up to such an adventure, but haven't made it past fast food and my one and only casino buffet in Biloxi. I'll get there one day though.
It has been 12 hours now since I began my adventure and even though I'm starting to get a little weary, I'm much too excited to sleep. The sun is setting on one side of the train yet I see the full moon rising on my side. Such a lovely sight.
5 JUNE 2001 - Day 2
Tis 6 AM and the sun is rising now. I don't know how but I slept most of the night curled up in both seats. The nice lady moved to another seat so she could stretch out too. At one point it was pretty warm in here and come to find out the AC had been turned off, but once they turned it back on, it got just right. The kind of cool where a shirt or jacket thrown over your arms kept you nice and cozy.
I just heard the cafe opened again at 6 so I must go know in search of some coffee.
Found the coffee and now I'll just sit back and relax as I still have 3 hours to go.
The 3 hours went by quickly and found myself thrown in the busy underground train world of the New York - Penn Station. There were people everywhere, millions of signs, and a sense of urgency that you just don't feel elsewhere in the world especially in Georgia. However, I adapted quickly, searched the signs for one leading me to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), found it right off, and proceeded to my next destination like I new where I was going. Once there I took in my surroundings with the thought of figuring it all out without asking for direction; however, I decided that it wouldn't hurt to practice asking questions... so I did. I found the information desk and told them I wanted to go to St. James and where did I need to go to buy my ticket. They told me what I already knew. I bought the ticket and realized I had an hour to waste away before leaving so I used it to explore, eat breakfast, use the restroom, smoke a cigarette or two, and figure out that when a train was within an hour of leaving it was listed on this huge board that people stood around gawking at. I stood and gawked too and realized that you didn't know which track to go to until 10 minutes prior. There would be a loud speaker announcement and a throng of people would head off in the direction of the particular track. So I waited my turn and sure enough my train was called and I moved off in the direction of Track 21 like I knew just what I was doing... and I did :-)
That train ride took 90 minutes with one transfer. Again, a piece of cake to figure out so I was very happy with the research I had done over the Internet. I had emailed Dad the day before I left so I figured someone would be waiting my arrival, but that wasn't the case and I found out later it was because Dad hadn't received the email yet. Oh well, I spent $1.50 in quarters looking for my brother... called the house, his office, his lab, Martine's office, and then the house again. Between those 4 calls, the stupid payphone ate 2 quarters as well--hence the $1.50. Finally got a hold of Martine and she said Steve was on his way.
First order of business was the grand tour of this magnificent house. Basement to the 2nd story where the master bedroom, bath and loft area was located. The ground floor has 2 guest bedrooms, guest bath, Steve's office, living, dining, and nothing room and, of course, the kitchen. The nothing room is called that because they haven't figured out what to do with it yet. It's an extra room of some sort maybe a family room? Anyway, the house is great and has lots and lots of windows that don't need to be covered because the place is surrounded by trees. There's a deck off the kitchen that wraps around near the nothing room and 2 balconies up on the 2nd floor. Oh yeah, it also has a two car garage and about 2 acres of tree covered land. The house itself is covered in shingled wood... my favorite after a log home.
Steve and Martine fixed lunch for me before going back to the office. They were cucumber, tomato, and cheese sandwiches. Interesting combination.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with Dad doing a whole lot of nothing. I unpacked and got settled in too. Journalized a little and basically relaxed from my long trip.
Steve and Martine got home around 7 and fixed a scrumptious meal. Veal shanks with a tomato sauce and salad. For dessert, Martine whipped up a chocolate cake by scratch. She is very talented in the kitchen. Must be because she is French? ;-)
Dad soon went to bed and the three of us lingered over our coffee and cake talking about our lives and sharing stories. Very enjoyable as I rarely get to spend time with them.
6 JUNE 2001 - Day 3
I woke up early eager to get the day started even though I had no clue as to what I'd be doing, but I wanted to be ready for anything. I had my coffee and two cigarettes, journalized the rest of the train adventure and then got dressed. No sooner from getting dressed did Dad say "Are you ready?" He suggested that we go for a bike ride to see where K-mart was... He knew already, but wanted to share the ride with me. I said "Sure" and we set off right then for our morning adventure. K-mart was 3 1/2 miles away and the very first obstacle was a steep hill that we ended up walking up. I was worried there'd be more like that, but that was the worse. Thirty minutes later we reached K-mart and Dad "rewarded" me with a hearty K-mart breakfast. Our first of several I'm sure. Afterwards we cruised the aisles looking for a can of coffee because besides green tea they only had some old instant coffee and that just isn't the same. The return trip was started with dread as I thought it would be worse since it felt like we were going down hill most of the way. I just knew I would have to stop many times to walk the bike up a hill, but guess what? I made it the entire way without stopping and it was made in 25 minutes this time. It was invigorating to say the least.
The rest of the day was spent working outside on one of the "daddy do list" items, which for me was cleaning the decks. I was actually sitting there with a screwdriver trying to free the leaves that were wedged between the deck boards. As I sat there doing that my mind wandered to the "what ifs" of life and I wondered whether I would do these type things to my own home if I owned it. Would I enjoy it? Or would I see it as a chore to put off as long as possible? I really don't know but that is the question I need to answer before I would decide to buy a home. Anyway, the next 2 hours were spent doing that because the afternoon brought rest and relaxation which included reading a book and indulging in a delicious nap.
Dad and I shared a cold beer for our afternoon cocktail since we still don't have the fixins for the usual bloody mary. We sat on the brick steps enjoying it when Steve drove up with two big boxes atop his car... Dad's new play toy--a table saw (at least while he is here.)
Dinner was good and a chance for more sharing and laughter. This time with just Martine as Steve still had work to do before his departure tomorrow. We had pasta with meat sauce, steamed snap peas and a salad. We must have sat there 3 hours eating, drinking wine, and talking. Actually they were drinking wine, I was drinking water. After Dad went to bed and Steve came home, we got into more a deep discussion about family idios and why we are the way we are. Martine noted that I must have had it the hardest growing up, which I did, but it felt almost rewarding in a sense that she realized it. Maybe rewarding isn't the right word; however, it will have to do as I can't think of a better one at the moment. Anyway, maybe now I can just except the fact that life has been rather hard at times but I've persevered and feel I'm where I'm supposed to be which is happy and content that I have my family close at hand if I need them. And that fact alone is everything to me.
7 JUNE 2001 - Day 4
Today's bike ride adventure took us down Harbor Rd to the Stony Brook Marina where we parked the bikes and walked the shoreline as far as we could go. It was absolutely beautiful and the weather was perfect. The ride itself was torturous though as it was mainly hills where either I was braking all the way down or walking all the way up. We were gone nearly 2 hours and probably covered 10 to 12 miles. It's truly amazing how in shape my 74-year-old father is and how out of shape I am :-)
Steve and Martine leave today for their European vacation so we will be on our own for dinner tonight. I think we may be going to Red Lobster and then to the grocery store for supplies to last us the rest of my stay. I don't know whether I'm looking more forward to the diet Sprite I'll pick up or the ingredients for my dad's famous bloody mary's. Probably both :-)
8 JUNE 2001 - Day 5
How time flies when you are having fun! It's hard to believe that I'm already on Day 5 of my 12-day adventure. I suppose the two days of travel eat up a third of it, but that's okay as that part is just as fun and exciting as the rest of it. With my dad, you never know what you are going to do until it is time for him to tell you. Just like this morning, I asked him what the schedule was so that I could plan my day, but he still hasn't answered me. I ended up just telling me to give me a half hour's notice when he figures it out. You see, we didn't do the grocery shopping last night because the Red Lobster dinner took longer than expected. Our server was pathetic and I'd say 30 minutes was wasted just waiting on him. The food was good though. I had steak and shrimp while Dad had steak and catfish.
Today I guess I'll clean off the lower deck so that I can uncover the patio furniture and enjoy reading a book in the sun with a nice glass of wine. Dad bought me a bottle of the only kind of wine I ever drink--white zinfandel.
later...
I just finished fixing Dad lunch and now he's taking a nap so thought I'd go down to the water for a spell and take in some of the sights. I rode down the very long hill on the bike with all my supplies including my palm and my keyboard. So here I sit at one of the picnic tables typing away. There's a lot more people here than I expected. Four to five cars with about 7 to 10 people. One is sunbathing. One is sitting behind me at another table, three just got here with some lawn chairs. Two are at another table to the left of me. Some just left. It is so peaceful down here. The birds are chirping. The seagulls are flying, there's a sailboat sailing by and the weather is absolutely perfect with a nice breeze and a clear blue sky. Now this is what I call vacationing :-)
I'm back now after staying an hour. It took me 2 min to get down there and 7 min to get back... all up hill. I ended up taking a walk along the shoreline and even came along 15 sea creatures that had come up close to the edge. When I came back to ask Dad what they were, he said they were some kind of crab.
9 JUNE 2001 - Day 6
We're heading to Dad's favorite breakfast place again... K-Mart. This time we're driving though since we have to grocery shop as well.
By the way, I was able to do the one thing yesterday afternoon that Steve and Martine said I had to do. I sat out on the clean deck in the lounge chair reading a book while sipping a glass of wine. I spent nearly 2 hours out there before coming in and fixing dinner. It was so relaxing just like they said it would be. Thank you for suggesting it!
Tid-bit info: I called work yesterday morning to find out about MILMOD and Jeff said it came up on Wednesday and that there are lots of problems. Great :-( I also called Mom to tell her that we arrived safely as she was inquiring through email that very same question and since I had told her that I would call this weekend I figured it was as good as time as any.
later...
We arrived back at the house about 11 am so after putting away the groceries I decided to sit out in the sun for a little while. My legs are so white and in need of a tan. I don't want to burn so have been getting small doses each day. Tis a lazy thing to do and since that is my goal this vacation then what can I say. Just like the nap I just took too :-) Pure indulgence!
10 JUNE 2001 - Day 7
Another day in paradise is upon me; however, this day will be slightly different as I am now injured. Yesterday evening after dinner I was carrying a couple cookie sheets and a stone pizza plate back to the oven when the pizza plate slipped out of my hands and fell landing squarely on my big toe. OUCH! My big toe nail has a diagonal crack through it now and still hurts to put pressure on it. No blood though thankfully and doesn't look too bad this morning... just hurts. Now I'm going to have to find another stone pizza pan to replace the broken one or at least leave some money.
Yesterday afternoon also brought melancholy to my life so no wonder the pizza pan incident occurred--to help me get out of my funk. I was stuck in the past reliving romantic memories of what could have been. I tend to do that when I have too much time on my hands like I do right now. I'm not complaining mind you. I feel it is sometimes necessary to do so so that one can see where they were and where they want to be. The difficult part is when where you want to be IS where you have been or you think it is. Sometimes it takes a few days to run through all of the emotions and put things back into perspective.
a little later...
I was able to drive to the store and pick up a Sunday newspaper. Actually, I picked up two different ones so that Dad can choose which one he likes best. He hates The New York Times because there are no comics or Ann Landers. Both of the ones I picked up do :-) I also broke down and bought some Diet Sprite. Nearly 6 days without any was driving me nuts.
We thought about riding the bikes to get the papers but my injured toe is limiting my activity. I was able to get my tennis shoes on but had to walk with a limp to keep the pressure off. Actually I have to walk with a limp regardless which is causing pain near my ankle. Seems like I can't win for losing. Even my plans to go to the Smithtown festival today have had to be scrapped which really ticks me off, but I need to nurse it before Thursday or it will be a miserable trip home.
evening...
I just finished cleaning up from a scrumptious early Father's Day dinner of roast, potatoes, carrots, corn, salad and a roll. Daddy's favorite meal of all time. He was pleased and that made all the effort worth it even though my toe is killing me. At dinner, he said that since I'm incapacitated that we could tour around the island in the car before I left on Thursday. This sits real well with me.
11 JUNE 2001 - Day 8
It hit me this morning that I haven't had a two-week vacation in so many years that I can't remember the last time much less the first time. I bring this up because today marks the beginning of the second week. Work and the stress it brings is just now starting to feel like a distant memory. By next week I should be more than ready to face it all again... maybe.
12 JUNE 2001 - Day 9
It stormed last night. A huge crack of thunder and lightening startled me awake at one point, but I went right back to sleep and slept so soundly that I was amazed it was time to get up. I guess the last few nights of the opposite had taken its toll on me. My injured toe being the culprit.
Speaking of which, I removed the toe nail polish yesterday to see what it looked like underneath and it is a nice shade of blue-green rimmed in black and surrounded by red. Not a pretty sight and it still hurts really bad.
Yesterday for fun, we drove around the countryside getting our bearings. Stopped at a couple stores to get needed supplies and even went to the mall to look for another pizza stone and to exercise. I didn't exercise, Dad did, I sat in the food court sipping on coffee and reading the newspaper. There was a kitchen gadget store conveniently located by the food court so when dad got back from his walk, I hobbled over with him and we found a pizza stone to replace the one that I dropped on my toe. It wasn't identical, however, I'm hoping they will receive the message that I'm sorry for breaking the other. I'm sure they will.
The rest of the day was spent reading Harry Potter. I can't believe how much I'm enjoying these books. I didn't think I would so kept putting off picking one up... stupid me... now I won't have time to finish all four books before I leave.
13 JUNE 2001 - Day 10
Today we went to K-mart again for breakfast which was good so that I could pick up some needed items for my trip tomorrow. Then Dad surprised me and said that we should take a road trip to the end of the island. So that's exactly what we did. We drove through some pretty countryside, quaint towns, and found ourselves at Orient Point where the road suddenly ended. There was a ferry there going to New London CT but we decided that that's not where we wanted to go today :-) so we turned around and headed back. Took about 3 hours roundtrip and along the way we even found a post office to mail my box of clothes back. What was kinda funny was we had been looking for a post office for two days and when we finally found one, we kept finding them practically around every corner. Twas one of those deals where you had to be there :-)
The rest of the afternoon was spent reading the third Harry Potter book and I just finished it which means I can take the fourth one with me. I'll just mail it back when I'm through.
16 JUNE 2001
I'm back home again and this adventure is now over, but it will always be remembered and treasured as I was able to spend quality time with my Dad and was able to totally relax for a change.
The trip back was smooth and uneventful. The only drawback was that the layovers yesterday were too long… 5 ½ hours at the first bus station and 2 hours at the transfer point. The upside was I had both seats to myself again both on the train and on the buses. How I managed that I'll never know.
I'll post some pictures once I get the film developed...
29 JUNE 2001
I just wanted to share that I made it through another turbulent tour of duty (two weeks) as First Sergeant with flying colors… actually I still have 3 more nights of on call duty, but at least I don’t have to be subjected to the rigors of trying to perform two jobs at the same time ;-) That’s tough at times… I did learn a lot though including how to deal with the squadron award program deadlines, a test failure, a pay problem, a weight issue, disgruntled airmen that were told they had to live in the dorm, and last but not least a domestic squabble. I would say that was the most intense issue especially since the commander hadn’t dealt with one either. We had to order the military member not to contact his spouse for 48 hours and had to put him in a dorm room on base to allow tempers to cool down. The individuals involved have had to check in with me daily to include over the weekend (as ordered by the commander) to make sure everything is still calm and that tempers haven’t arisen again. Oh boy what fun it will be if I get a late night call saying that they are violently fighting again! Yeah right! ;-)
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