Rinse Cycle

I think that most of the time we forget about how awesome our country is.  If you spend time watching or listening to media, all you hear are points of negativity, failure posturing and political condemnation.  It is a rare occasion when the news covers about the beautiful landscapes and type of terrains that exist.  If you were to evaluate our country based on the media, you would potentially have a distorted view. I realize that the prism in which we view the universe in provides us with what we believe to be true, but that does not always mean that is the truth.

This past weekend, Debbie and I had a chance to visit one of the awesome treasures that we have in our country.  We had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Sedona, Arizona – a truly cool place that was grand on many levels.  As we drove through the winding mountain routes (route 89), we saw a gap between the mountains that made us go “Wow!” out loud.  After coming from the Scottsdale / Phoenix area, where these cities were full of people, buildings and noise, the relative quiet, open space and relaxing feeling while standing near the red rock formations was easily impactful on us.  In the short time we had, we explored their tourist area, went off roading on a jeep tour, ate our meals outdoors while looking out at the scenery and found spots for solitude and reflection.  By the time we left, we felt that this was a place to return for a longer period of time.

Under the hustle and bustle of life, where we spend our valuable time striving to make a difference, support our families and champion causes, we sometimes forget to stop and catch our breath.  Yes, I know that I write about this after I actually have had a chance to “press the rinse cycle” on my life, take a brief break and reset my perspective.  This time, we had a chance to view natural wonders and breathe in some fresh, untainted air.  We left our worries behind, stopped thinking about the “daily grind” and enjoyed our precious time together in a really different environment; an environment that was here long before our families arrived on these shores and one that will long outlive our generations to come.  Sometimes, we get caught up in the “BS” that assails our senses and forget that we do truly have a great nation, with awesome places to visit and natural adventures to be experienced.

“Tennessee, There Ain’t No Place I’d Rather Be…”

Music has been a pervasive part of my life…I have been playing an instrument since I was 9 years old, I was in the high School Marching, on radio in college and have played in a band my entire adult life.  Debbie and I still enjoy going to concerts (though less frequently than we would like), Bec is an avid music listener and Gab graduated with a Music Ed degree.  Yes, living near New York has provided exposure to music, but we have never been to Tennessee!  OK, I know that sounds like a non sequitur…

We recently were invited to a wedding in Nashville – a place where we have never been but were told it is a great place to go.  Besides helping to celebrate the marriage of our friend’s child, we decided it would be a good opportunity to go away, just the two of us on a weeklong vacation, spending time in Nashville and driving to spend a few days in Memphis.  The wedding was fantastic – dinner at the Parthenon (replica of the actual Parthenon with Athena watching over us), ceremony at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and a great brunch.  Our initial reason for traveling to “The Volunteer State” was a success, and with all weddings, it is great to see the newlyweds looking so happy. 

During the trip, we went to:

• The Johnny Cash Museum
• The Musician’s Hall of Fame (GRAMMY Museum)
• The Country Music Hall of Fame
• Ryman Auditorium
• Grand Ole Opry, featuring the Charlie Daniels Band
• Afternoon Brewery Tour
• Hear music on Broadway
• Buy cowboy boots
• Eat Nashville Hot Chicken at the famous Hattie B’s (worth the long line)
• Graceland

• Rock and Soul Museum
• Sun Studios
• The Peabody Hotel March of the Ducks
• Rock Music Hall of Fame
• Gibson Guitar Factory
• Hour and a half ride on an authentic paddle boat on the Mississippi River
• Distillery Tour
• Eat a bunch of Nashville and Memphis BBQ
• Hear music on Beale Street

 What we learned:

• Nashville is the home of Country Music
• Bluegrass started at the Ryman
• The Grand Ole Opry is a stage / radio show that has been running since 1925
• Johnny Cash has a HUGE list of accomplishments, overshadowing all other musicians
• Memphis is home of the blues
• Memphis is where the first Rock and Roll record was recorded (Rocket 88 with Ike Turner)
• There is a lot see in the USA and it great to experience it!

This was the first week long vacation Debbie and I have taken together since before we became parents.  I have to be honest - it was great to spend time together, doing things together, and having fun together.  Any issues we have in our lives, we left at the gate before getting on the plane.  In the hustle and bustle of daily life, we sometimes have to steal time to spend together.  On vacation, aside from needing to rest and recharge, we had the whole time together worrying only about what do we want to do next.  And, for a couple that loves music, what better place to spend time but “…back in Tennessee…”

Monica Got Married

The tropical breeze and gently crashing surf in front of us, the young couple stood together and the vows about to taken.  What an idyllic scene!  I sat there holding Debbie’s hand with Gab and Bec sitting to my right.  For that moment, things were great!

Life is busy.  It is good that I enjoy the work that I do, enjoy the volunteering, and enjoy most all of the things that fill my days.  I do not work with an eye to my next vacation and focus on where we are going to travel next.  We all remember the Eveready bunny that kept on going and going.  However, even the Eveready bunny must use up its battery’s life.  While in the midst of my daily routine, I do not always realize that I am wearing down, and need to recharge.

Monica got married.  The first few days we were saying, I cannot believe Monica’s getting married!  We were there as a family.  I make no bones about loving my family, being together and enjoying each other.  It has been two full years since we took a family vacation away.  Yes, I have been to Florida a lot this past 15 months, but these were not vacations – these were visits tending to a sick aunt, a quick visit to my father, and tending to him when he was sick.  Debbie and I had a few long weekends, but not a family vacation where we were off the grid.  This vacation, we were in Jamaica – off the mainland and not easy to contact to us - A true vacation.

We have known Monica and her family for a long time.  When she said they wanted to marry in Jamaica, we said we were in.  Not only to support her on her new adventure, but also to take a family vacation to somewhere we have not been to.  When the opportunity made itself available, we jumped at the chance to turn this into a family vacation. 

Being off the grid meant no work to pull me from the downtime, a chance to reacquaint ourselves together, and the time to recharge our batteries.  We had the chances to eat together, swim together, enjoy the swim up bar, and enjoy cocktails together.  We always enjoyed the vacation time when the girls were young; there is a clear difference spending time with them as adults.  Yes, it was great! 

After the completion of the ceremony, we turned our heads a noticed a rainbow in the sky - truly a wonderful symbol.  As our last morning approached, we looked back at the pool with the ocean beyond.  This was a beautiful place, where we got to watch two young people start their journey as a married couple, enjoyed some native foods, and most importantly, spent time as a family to relax and enjoy time together.  As the ensuing months come, I will keep in mind the importance of vacation and the opportunity to spend it with my family.

Home Alone, or, the Sound of Silence

Day 2 – Today, I sit at home all by myself.  Bec came home for her trimester break and her and Debbie have gone to Florida for a few days.  I am happy that the two of them went away together, as this is a good school break for Bec and a great chance for some mother-daughter bonding.  This is odd for me, as I am the one who is usually away…now I am home alone in our house.  But what about the canine company you ask?  They have gone away, as well, to “Doggie Daycare” – that is right they get a vacation too!  Actually, they are vacationing because I leave the house for work early and come home late – too long for them to go without me walking into the house and finding a present waiting for me (and I do not mean the gift-wrapped variety).  It is weird being on the other side…

Day 3 – This morning, I realize that over the past 18 years, I have gotten familiar with the sounds that the house makes, or so I thought.  I was sitting here eating breakfast, and I heard an unusual clicking sound.  I never heard that before…and off I went to find out what it was.  I crept into the basement where the sound was coming from, a drop of cold sweat running down my forehead.  Yes, I was nervous for what I might find.  Click, click, it got a little louder.  As I came down the steps, I realized that it was the sound of metal expanding as the water heater was running.  Like the human body, the house has its gurgles and pops which I used to know.  I guess that I am more used to hearing Debbie or the girls moving around or hearing the padding footsteps of the dogs.

Day 4 – I travel for work, so there are times where I am away for one to two weeks.  My days are full, as being on-sight provides focus and I get to accomplish many things.  At the end of the day, after dinner (usually by myself), I retire to the hotel room that I am staying in.  It is a room, with a bed.  I generally read, write or zone out to something on TV.  I am a bit lonely, but am okay being in the smaller area.  Being limited in what is available for me to do means I come prepared to be alone.  Being in a comparatively bigger space, our house, is a different story.  This is clearly a case where circumstances are reversed, as the sound of the silence bounces non-existently off the walls, floor and ceiling.  I find that I look for things to do, not necessarily in the house (I am not a homebody) so as not to be alone, more so than when I travel…

Day 5 – Today, I am excited!  After work I will bring home the dogs, and then later tonight, Debbie and Bec return home.  I look forward to having life (other than my own) in the house.  While I am happy they were away, did their own thing and had a great time, a piece of me is VERY EXCITED to have them come safely home.  Like a kid walking into the candy store with enough money to buy the candy bar of one’s choice, I feel the same feeling. 

Day 6 – They are home!  They took a late flight in and uber home.  I decided at the last minute to surprise them, so off I went to the airport with the dogs.  Yes, I was excited to see them.  They both had a great trip, a good time and happy for the opportunity to spend the time together.  Last night, I went to sleep comforted by the sounds I hear in the house, I slept the best sleep in days and happily woke up listening to the sounds in the house I recognize and comfort in sensing the body next to mine.  All is good and right in the universe once again. :)

On The Road Again

Debbie and I have not had a road trip alone together since before Gab and Bec were born.  The last one was a vacation where we went from LA to the Grand Canyon to Scottsdale, Arizona.  The opportunity for the road trip this time was to pack up various items from my aunt’s condo and bring the fully packed car from Florida to New Jersey.  We arrived on Monday, and the first three days in Florida were spent working and taking care of my aunt’s business.  Thursday afternoon arrived, we had the car loaded with our luggage, various knick knacks, chachkas and memories.  As someone we talked to during our trip said, the spirit of our aunt was looking upon us.  At which point we raised our glasses of beer and toasted Temie.  We said goodbye to Temie’s neighbors, then off we went, just the two of us, in a car, and the open road ahead.  We had not booked any places to stay.  Excited – Yes!  An Adventure – Yes!  Would we make it in one piece?  Would we still be a happily, married couple?  Finally, it was road trip time and vacation (NO WORK). 

For years, I always poo-poo’d driving distances on vacation.  As a family, we did drive to Disney once, but I had a convention in Charlotte, so we tied the two together.  Otherwise, hop in the airplane and show up at the destination.  While there is a lot of empty spaces between cities, we enjoyed the opportunity to visit places we have never been to and realized that driving allowed us the chance to see more of our country, see new places and meet new people.

Some highlights:

• Visiting friends in Jacksonville – they wanted us to stay the night, but I decided to drive half way to the next stop – Charleston.
• Driving from 10:30 – 1:00 in the morning - there is NO ONE on the road.
• Arriving in Charleston in time for the tour guide to pick us up, greeting us with, “Welcome to this adventure.”  Adventure include: 
• Visiting the oldest tree east of the Mississippi, Angel Oak, that supposedly George Washington visited while smoking hemp from his pipe.
  
• Wine Tasting at Deep Water Vineyards
• Spirits Tasting at Firefly Distillery – who knew they had 27 products?
• Beer Tasting at Low Tide Brewery
• Dinner at a local barbeque and bar in Charleston, where next to us there were two people from Queensryche (that were playing that night) eating next to us
• Walking the historic streets of Charleston
• An evening spent in Richmond, Virginia where we ate dinner at Southern Railway Taphouse.  At 10:00, the place transformed into a local 20-something year olds hangout and we realized that we were more than double half the patrons age.  We feel young, but…
  
• Being fans of “Triple D”, stopping for a late lunch at Johnny Rad’s in Baltimore…fried edamame,  good pizza (El Gato, garlic white) and tasty dessert (Salted Carmel Bread Pudding).

At 8:30 pm Sunday night, 1,350 miles of road behind us, and multiple pits along the way, we walked into our front door.  The four-day “open road” adventure complete.   It was a great trip and we found some places we want to visit in the future.  The best part – we are still talking, are a smiley couple and had a great time being together.  It was great to be off the grid, not pay attention to emails and texts, and just spend time together, focusing on each other.