Traditions

I like traditions but have very few in my life. There are a few things we try to do every year. We take a trip to Mackinac Island each Summer to visit the spot where we were married. We also spend Memorial Day weekend at Carolina Beach, NC with a large group of friends. The one I wanted to write about today is the annual Easter egg hunt at a friend's house. We've attended the festivities even before our daughter was born. It has changed over the years but most of the faces have remained the same. The one thing I noticed this year is that the faces keep getting older. The little ones aren't little anymore. They are growing up and within a couple years the annual hunt may be down to one or two kids as the older ones will be off at college. Aside from my daughter this group of kids are the ones I've been around the most and I have watched them grow up. That includes my own nieces and nephews who I only get to see a couple times a year since they live so far away. It is a little bitter sweet knowing that one of my favorite traditions will be changing in the next few years but change is good and I'm sure a new tradition will be formed.

Until tomorrow,
Dave

Deadliest Catch

Next week one of my favorite reality shows comes back for another season.  Deadliest Catch tells the story of several crab fishing boats in the Bering Sea during the king and snow cab season.  This will be the tenth season and the great thing about this show is that no two seasons have been close the the same thing.  Fishing is the Bering Sea in the middle of winter really is one of the most dangerous jobs a person can do.  The weather, ocean, and heavy equipment means you a one bad move away from a serious injury or death.  I've watched the show over the years and often wondered if I could cut it and survive a season on a crab boat.  I'm sure I would have a hard time sleeping and would be sick a lot not to mention the physical nature of the work.  I now know I am too old to even try but I'm not sure I was tough enough even when I was younger.  One added bonus of watching this show is that it turned me on to just how delicious king crabs are.  It has become one of my favorite foods.  Thanks to this show every time I have crab I know what it took to catch it and that makes be appreciate it even more.

Until tomorrow,
Dave

Satellite Radio

In the last post I talked about the advancement in telephone technology.  Today I want to talk about radios.  My generations grew up listening to the car radio on long road trips.  I remember the joy of finding a good station and the agony of losing it minutes later as your drove out of range.  So you pushed seek or scan until you found another station that would do.  I remember not realizing how popular country music was until taking long drives and finding it to me the most common format.  If I liked country or christian music I would have been fine but popular music channels were hard to find.  Jump forward a decade or two and satellite radio is a travelers new best friend.  Regardless of where you are or what time it is there is always good music or talk to be found.  I don't miss the days of manually tuning the dial and the selection available on SiriusXM is excellent.  I always tell myself that I'm not going to renew when the bill comes each year but they will give you a good deal to keep you and it is money well spent.

Until tomorrow,
Dave

The Masters

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. The Masters golf tournament takes place in Augusta, GA. I have never been to watch in person but hope to one of these days. Watching on TV is still pretty great. The course looks perfect and the golf is always very competitive. August is only two hours away from Charlotte but it is kind of off the beaten path. I've heard that Augusta National Golf Club is right in the middle of a bunch of strip malls. It is like an oasis. You could not tell by watching the telecast the the club is not in the best part of town. The tress are beautiful, the fairways and greens are perfect, and the azaleas are always in bloom for the tournament. The grounds keepers do an incredible job of getting the course ready and it really shows. I have been watching the tournament for many years. My first memory is watching the 1982 tournament from my grandparent's house just outside Chicago. We must have been there for Easter and Craig Stadler won that year. Augusta is also home of my favorite golf hole. The thirteenth hole is a short dogleg left par five. It is a big risk/reward hole that always adds an element of drama to the weekend. I hope to play it one day or at least watch someone play it. I should add that Augusta National isn't perfect. There has been issues over the past decade about their refusal to allow women and minorities membership. Both have been addressed but they took too long. So I look forward to sitting down on Sunday afternoon and watching the leaders play the last few holes. It is the official start of Spring for me.

Until tomorrow,

Dave

Back in my day….

This evening one of my wife's friends needed a rotary dial phone  for a prop in a play her child was in.  We just happen to have one that my Mom had given my daughter to play with several years ago.  The sad part if that I remember using that very phone for many years at our summer house.  Things really have changed.  It would take over a minute just to dial the number on that thing if you were making a long distance call.  My daughter asked us how we played games on that thing and if her grandmother had one like that in her car back in the day.  Man things really have come a long way.  Do you remember when cellular phone were big and did one thing…make phone calls?  They didn't even make good phone calls.  Now my cell phone has more power than the entire computer lab in my high school while I was there.  Now people make millions of dollars developing apps for phones.  Man I wish I had the idea and the skill to develop and awesome app.  Maybe that should be my goal for next year.  It's better than giving up french fries.  I like the advancements in technology from my generation to my daughters.  One of these days I will have to write about remote controls for televisions.

Until tomorrow,
Dave

Pretzels

I love pretzels.  I once had a roommate who called referred to pretzels as "empty calories".  That may be true but they are one of the best snack foods ever.  I should give a little background.  I grew up near the pretzel capital of the world.  No not Germany, but Hanover Pennsylvania.  It is the home of dozens of snack food and more specially pretzel makers.  Brands that are now know nationwide were formerly just local brands.  I miss living in that part of the world for one reason.  Wege broken sourdough pretzels.  The ultimate in hard pretzels.  I have ordered a box or two over the years and they really are the best.  I also like soft pretzels.  I spent a few years living outside of Philadelphia which I think is the home of the best soft pretzels.  The good thing about a soft if that you can eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just as a snack.  I pretzels that you get at the mall are good but they are not real soft pretzels.  The denser the better if you ask me.  As I write this I am enjoying some pretzels and a Bud.  Its a nice way to end a day.

Until tomorrow,
Dave

America's pastime.

You know Spring has arrived when major league baseball has their annual opening day. I love baseball especially the Detroit Tigers. I either watch or read about all 162 games they play each year. I have been luck because they have been relevant and good in recent years. However for a good fifteen year stretch they were horrible. To get my baseball fix I started following the Tigers minor league teams. So that is six more teams I follow. More importantly I followed the players on these minor league teams knowing that some of them would be future Tigers. Following Tigers are all levels of professional baseball became a hobby that continues today. I don't bump into many people who I can talk about a 16 year old Dominican prospect they Tigers are high on. Maybe someday I will sit next to someone on a plane with the same interest but I really doubt it. Looking forward to another long season of baseball and hoping for a successful year for all levels in the Tigers organization.

Until tomorrow,

Dave

A real truck

I haven't written about my pick-up truck yet in the blog. I will save that for its 20th birthday on May 15th. You should know that it is a small truck and old and beat up. It broke down on my way to CrossFit this morning...thank goodness. Well I ended up having to rent a car and even though I requested a compact I got a Chevy Suburban. Now that is a truck. I thought I was going to scrap the roof when I pulled into my parking deck. The drivers seat is so wide and comfortable and you sit like 10 feet off the ground. What a truck. I could sit a dozen people in this thing. It is fast and just massive. I love it. It will be tough going back to me little red pick-up truck and someday when I can afford one I am getting a Suburban. Until then I will just drive the rental for this week and feel cool.

Until tomorrow,

Dave

I'm done

Three months ago I made a commitment to myself to write a daily blog in 2014. The first few were fun but not it feels like a job. I am running out of things to write about and half the time I write because I have to write. It is not worth it. Also my audience is my wife and her best friend. And they only read it from time to time. What is the point? There is no point. I got through the first quarter of the year and I am throwing in towel. I may do a post occasionally but today is my final daily post. It has been fun and the site will be here forever in case anybody ever wants to read about me. So thanks for those that have read. I really appreciate it.

April Fools...Until tomorrow,

Dave