With my circle of women from the family.  Sisters, aunts, cousins, cousins’ wives.  It was…awesome.

Anyway, when I got back I heard there was Swine Flu in Texas.  My dad lives in south Texas.  Not good.  But I talked to him today and he and the entire step-family down there are taking precautions and being careful.  So I will keep my fingers crossed.  In the mean time, The Boy’s district has cancelled all extracirricular activities through the middle of May and an elementary school about 12 miles away is closed through May 7th due to three cases.  Nice.

I have to admit as addicted as I am to scouring political sites from all party affiliations, it was really nice to not have news and the only T.V. we watched was the Bio channel.  Otherwise it was music, drinking and dancing Thursday through Sunday of last week.

And then…when I get home…I come back to:

1.  Worldwide swine flu outbreak.

2.  North Korea making more threats.

3.  A budget approved by Congress that…let’s just say….astronomically increases the deficit dems complained about during the last election.  Not happy about that but I’m sure you could have guessed that without me saying it.

4.  More than $600,000 added to the deficit with a dumb-ass AF One flyover and a wasted trip to St. Louis just for a press op prior to the press conference tonight.

Glad I had the time away, but worried about the flu, North Korea, the quadrupled deficit and the rampant spending by the White House for photo ops.

But….I am being good.  No personal attacks.  Just disappointment over irresponsible spending.

Time to finish drink four.  Trying to wean myself slowly from the all day/all night drinking that ensues on girls’ weekend.

But…I will work out for an hour and a half tomorrow. At least I’m functional…..

Okay, so we’re back from our trip up north. I saw my nieces and nephews, sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, mom and step dad. I got to see my newest nephew be baptized live and in person…by a really cool Nigerian priest. Seriously, the guy represented all that is good in a priest from his calm, comforting demeanor to how patient he was with the toddlers at the service to how carefully he treated the babies. A very, very nice man. We also spent time at the lake where The Boy and the spouse caught a mess of fish which we fried up and ate. Yummy.

Anyway, this was the second trip we took with the new Pilot vs. packing, standing in long security lines, and hopefully waiting for seats in crowded airports. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, so here are some pros and cons to consider when deciding whether you should drive or fly:

Driving: You leave on your own schedule

Flying: You sure as hell had better not be late or they will give your seat away…no exceptions.

Driving: You can pack whatever you want in the BIG bottles, in big-ass suitcases and nobody will complain but your spouse who has to figure out how to fit your bags into the car.

Flying: One small carry-on and one small bag which are both searched thoroughly by a power hungry TSA person and are lugged everywhere by you since baggage handlers tend to “misplace” checked bags.

Driving: These days, gas costs a LOT of money. Even in the Pilot which gets good mileage for an SUV.

Flying: There is a fuel surcharge, but it nowhere near matches the cost of filling your tank three times a day.

Driving: You get to sit in your own car, drinking your own beverage of choice, stopping to eat and for bio-breaks wherever and whenever you prefer, and you get your OWN pillow and blanket-free of charge. Plus, you get to watch your own movies and play your own games on your own computer…for free. Oh, and make phone calls. On your cell. As many as you want provided you can stand the dirty looks from the spouse who is trying to listen to his music.

Flying: You get to sit next to a huge guy that invades all your space and insists on putting the arm rest up so he can lean into you, he smells bad, he burps, he has gas, and he snores. You’re lucky to get a coke and you probably won’t get even a pretzel or a peanut unless you’re willing to pay through the nose for a pretty bad sammich. Just when you have to “go”, they turn on the fasten seat belt sign and allow nobody to go to the privy for the duration of the flight. No phone calls, unless you want to pay through the nose. In-flight entertainmnet? Well…maybe they’ll run some commercials and cut sit-coms….maybe some movies on longer flights you can see if you’re lucky enough to have a seat where it’s visible or an individual unit that works. But don’t count on seeing the whole flick….chances are there will be weather or too many announcements thrown in there to finish any one movie and still be able to hear/see it. And the food? Well, we all know the deal there. Even the first class stuff really isn’t that great.

Driving: No annoying people to deal with (except at the restaurants where you can at least get your own table). No screamning kids (except your own). And nobody kicking your seat or leaning back so they knock your drink and food into your lap.

Flying: All the bad things about other people in the mix listed above.

Driving: It takes a long-ass time to get anywhere!

Flying: It doesn’t take that long….but is it worth the hassle? I have to say sometimes it is if it’s the only way to get somewhere when I need or want to, but overall it’s a PITA.

All in all, even with the additional time, after these last two trips I have to say I prefer driving because I get to have all my stuff with me, make my own choices, and wear sweats until I get there (no I’m not comfortable on the plane in sweats…it’s like wearing PJ’s….I’m casual but not THAT casual).

What say you? Driving or flying? These days, which to you prefer?

We’re off for a car trip tomorrow to see my family up in Wisconsin.  Yes, we’ve looked at our route carefully and we think we will be able to avoid the flooded areas without too much trouble.

There have been three babies born in the family since I was last up north for a visit.  This time Tommy and The Boy are coming with me, and we are making a side trip to a cabin in the north woods following my nephew’s baptism.

Yeah!  Road Trip!  If I can grab some pics of the flooding on our way (from afar, hopefully) I will let you have a peek.

Time to pack.  For up north.  Where I will be able to wear sweatshirts and jeans at night!

I must say it was a really long way to go in a car, but we think it was a good trip and well worth all the driving. With the storm that happened while we were away and all the canceled flights, it turns out driving was probably the best choice this time. We saw some interesting things along the way, including this restaurant attached to a gas station. Only in Arkansas….

Anyway…after arriving at our hotel the night of the 16th, all we did was chill and have a beer (well….The Boy had a coke but you get the idea). When we woke up the next morning, we were pleasantly surprised by our view:

Our hotel was just a couple of blocks down the street from The White House. We stopped by there, but apparently you needed a magic pass that day to even get past the gate and they weren’t doing any tours. We didn’t have a magic pass, nor did we know where to get one. So this is as close as we got:

At one point, we were getting ready to cross Pennsylvania and the President’s motorcade sped by. We saw his car. Not him, because his windows were dark, but we saw the car….and all the suv’s and police in cars and on motorcycles…as they sped by. I think I might have seen Cheney in the back of one of trucks but I’m not sure.

We walked over to the monuments and the reflecting pool. The WWII Memorial is impressive and serene. If you go, take some time to read all the quotes on the wall. They are powerful, and help us remember what it was like then.

From there, we saw the Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials. Then we walked toward the Lincoln Memorial:

All of my pictures from there include one of us, so I only have the long view to show you. From those steps in the distance, we could look back and see The Washington Monument. We got right up to the monument, but the tours were all sold out so we weren’t able to get up into the top. The Monument is a pervasive structure, viewable throughout the city. Very impressive:

After the monuments, we walked back toward our hotel and over to The Smithsonian. We Showed The Boy the Air and Space Museum, and we caught an IMax movie called Fighter Pilot (Tommy saw some guys he knew in the film and it’s a pretty accurate depiction of the exercise it covers…but some of the flying is over the top compared to what they actually do). We tried to get in to see the National Archives after The Smithsonian, but the line was two hours long. Those who know me know at least one thing…I am NOT a patient person. So off we went back to the hotel. We were so tired after all that walking that we just ordered a pizza over the Internets to the room.

The next day, we were pretty tired so we caught a tour bus that took us through town and over to Arlington National Cemetery. A must see for any trip to D.C. I was glad we did the bus that day, because you just can’t see everything in two days and that way we got a guided tour of some other parts of the city and a taste of its history.

I’d forgotten this, but I have a family member buried at Arlington. Maybe he’s somewhere in this shot:

We walked through the cemetary hills for about two hours, and barely scratched the surface. The enormity of the sacrifice is just overwhelming. You really don’t “get” it until you’ve been with these brave souls for a few hours.

We walked past JFK’s grave site with its eternal flame. Jackie is there, along with the baby girl they lost and their infant son Patrick:

And of course we visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.

We were there for the changing of the guard. Those guys are true professionals and they treat their jobs very seriously.

After the long walk back through the hills of Arlington, we hopped back on the bus and headed back toward the National Mall. After a quick lunch, we headed over to the Capitol, walking through the National Sculpture Garden along the way. They had some cool stuff there, but I was SO cold by then….sorry, I just couldn’t bring myself to take my hands out of my pockets long enough to get a pic.

Once at the Capitol, we walked up many steps to find out about a tour….only to find that we had to walk back down all those steps to get a ticket. We were all cold and tired from the walking that day, so we decided to bag it and head back to the hotel. We stopped by the pond across the street from the Capitol…only to find ourselves….

Mooned…..by a duck!!!! What is it with ducks and ponds and their need to moon us? The same thing happened to us while walking through Kensington Gardens in London. But I can’t find that pic right now. Ducks….mooning….me….the nerve!!

We’ll definitely have to go back to D.C. some day. I really, really DO want to see the National Archives, and also President Lincoln’s summer home and Mt. Vernon. And the inside of the Capitol and The White House. That’s at least two more days right there! I hope you enjoyed the pics. I’m off to drink wine and relax with the kitty.

Yes, I’m back from my weekend up in Wisconsin. I actually got back on Sunday night, but seriously…I’ve just been too tired to even think about posting. With the flying and the staying up late and the drinking….yes, that does catch up with you.

Anyway…it was a really good time and well worth the trip. I arrived on Friday afternoon, and after a nice lunch with my younger sister and a quick change, it was off to drinks and dinner with “the cousins”. Yes, we did eat….but really the night was all about the yards. Yes, yards. See?

Well, what we really wanted was a boot at the German place next door. But they were out of boots so we settled for the yards. Oh…if you don’t know what a boot is, I caught a shot of one of the mini-boots (they have much bigger ones) on the way out the door.

It’s a thing we like to do when we all get together like that. Share a boot or five or six…

Anyway, the next day the crew was in much need of bloody marys. So my sister had everyone over for bacon (there was other stuff too but really it’s all about the bacon on a morning like that) and bloody marys. My cousin used to be a bartender, so he was cranking ‘em out as fast as they could drink ‘em (which was pretty fast). See? Bloody mary bar:

That afternoon, we went to my aunt’s house for an early dinner before the Badger game. I think there were like 43 people there if you count the aunts, uncles, cousins, and the offspring of the cousins (no, The Boy didn’t go….he’s older than most of the out of town cousins and he had school). Oh, yes…there were brats..cooked by my German uncle. Sweet.

Then it was off to the game for some…over to my cousin’s place for others. My cousin has a fire pit built in the center of her patio outside. It was awesome sitting there drinking, watching the fire, and chatting after the game.

Finally, the next day there was ANOTHER breakfast (with more bloody marys). After a stop at my mom’s to chat (although the Packer game was on so there wasn’t much chatting..she’s a die-hard fan), it was back to the airport for my flight home.

So as it turns out, although there were quite a few gatherings which I felt like I really should go to……I was glad I went and attended all of them. It was really good to see everyone – and all the newest members of the family.

I think I’m finally caught up on sleep and ready to get back into the routine around here. By this time next year, I MIGHT be recovered enough to do it all over again.

In case you forgot, we’re still here! After beers we went out for BEEF! and WINE! and FLAN!

I haven’t been that full in a really long time. But it was SO good. And some of the crew went too so it was good times. We were so tired from the walking and eating yesterday that we slept in until 10:30.

Then it was time for omlettes! I don’t know what they do, but the omlettes here are beyond good.

Then it was more walking.

Then I bought a leather jacket! The leather shops here are outstanding, so since I really wanted a leather jacket it made sense to get it here…it is, after all, in the low 50s so I could even wear it while we walked through the park after I bought it. It’s so lovely walking through the park down here on a crisp fall day south of the equator.

We have to go back tonight, but not until we have one more meal and a little more walking. I’m thinking maybe a panini or more empanadas. Oh, did I mention The Boy had some gelato during our walk earlier? The real stuff, Italian style.

Hopefully I will post with good news of getting on flights back home to arrive some time on Tuesday.

Cheers!

Yup, The Boy and I are on Tommy’s trip to Buenos Aires. Luckily there were first class and business class seats for us on the flights down here.

Oh yes, Buenos Aires. Where it is clear and sunny and in the 50s!!! We’ve already had our beer, empanadas and naps and then we headed down to a street festival they hold every week in a really cool part of the city. There were many small musical groups playing, lots of booths with crafty type stuff, artists painting canvases in the street, antique stores nearby, and of course….Tango dancers!!!

After walking around for a bit, we headed over to Cafe Tortoni and had a late lunch. That’s just a cool place. No wonder Robert Duvall is known to hang out there!

Now we are back at the hotel for a brief break before heading out for beers with the rest of the crew at a sidewalk cafe so we can people watch. Then later there will be steak (of course because really why would you go to Argentina if not for the beef?!).

Better go rest up so we can get ready for the next round.

Jealous?

Yup. The Boy and I looked at flights and it seems like we’ll probably be able to tag along on Tommy’s trip to Buenos Aires tomorrow. So off we will go tomorrow afternoon, attempting to make it to our hub city and then on to B.A. so we can be with Tommy for Father’s Day!

It is winter down there. We will be wearing sweatshirts!!  And enjoying a coffee at an outdoor cafe! And The Boy may even get some kisses from his favorite waitress if she’s at work when we go.

Hopefully the next time you hear from me I’ll be below the equator!

Because really, lady who was in the seat one row ahead of me. I think you thought we were all on a great big car trip. There are certain things that we all do from time to time while on a road trip – IN A CAR – that are perfectly acceptable and fun. However, these same things can make a plane ride (even a short one hour plane ride) more than miserable for those seated in your general vicinity.

I can understand you were glad to see your friends and it was fun to hoot and holler and reminisce about this thing or that you experienced either last night or “that one time” you were all together. Really, I can. But lady (and I use the term loosely), there is no need to yell and scream at the top of your lungs. And I actually think your friend sitting next to you was trying to read that magazine she was quite forcefully leafing through. At least that’s the impression I got. But then she sighed, gave up, and put it away so I guess that was okay with you.

And I know you really appreciate very strong meaningful poetry by Maya Angelou. However, I really don’t think it was necessary to read the entire five minute poem at the top of your lungs. Really, it wasn’t. I’m sure if we were interested there are lots of places we could have found that poem and read it quietly to ourselves so as not to disturb the 20 or so people seated in our general vicinity.

And I know it’s fun to shout out clues to your friends to see if they can guess the thing you’re trying to describe. That’s a really fun game to play in a car when on a road trip. But again, if you’re on a plane and getting lots of strange looks from your fellow passengers…so much so that your friend seated next to you is truly leaning out halfway into the aisle to create some perceived distance between you and her (that actually was kinda funny)….then you might want to at least re-think the volume level.

Oh, and when you looked like you were riding a horse in your seat and yelled “giddy yup…whooo!!! come on, baby work those hooves!!!!!” during take-off. That was truly special. I can honestly say that in all my travels I have actually never seen that before. What a treat.

And the topper. Oh, you outdid yourself with this one. Singing that song from The Color Purple at the top of your lungs. Yeah, that was good. You know what? Come to think of it I really didn’t need that short nap I was counting on during that flight since I’d been up since before six. Oh no…I would have much rather listened to you belt out that off-key rendition of that song from the movie.

After my short one hour flight with this truly…ahem….”unique”…. individual, I can honestly say it is now crystal clear to me that what’s okay to do in a car during a road trip is SO not okay to do in a small regional jet filled to capacity.

Well, after finding out that many flights got cancelled last night due to bad weather on the east coast and that this week happens to be when they put on the annual air show in OshKosh, WI – I am quite surprised we got seats on our flights here.

But we are here. And it is quite cool. But tomorrow it will be 90. But I don’t care because tomorrow it will not be over 100 which is what it would be if we were in Dallas this week.

I must go now and celebrate with my sister that we made it. And yes, that will involve alcohol. We are Irish Catholic. Of course it will involve alcohol.

Drinks for everyone!!