Fat, stupid and happy!

 
The title definitely describes how I felt at the end of Thanksgiving!  I overate (not too much though), didn't tax myself intellectually (except for a few trivia questions) and was content in the place and time I found myself!

I know that everyone thinks that their mom is the best cook on earth, but I hate to break the news to the world... my mom really IS the best cook on earth!  Without fail, my mom pulls together a feast for what usually amounts to a small army every holiday.  And it's not like it's just a one-time sit down event on the special day.  With all the kids, grandkids and various family members old enough to have other social obligations, people drop in and out all day long ready to grab a plate and dig in.  No matter what time someone shows up at her house, Mom makes sure there's a hot plate of food available.



Although our Thanksgiving meal does include the uniquely Cajun dish of oyster dressing, the majority of what she prepares on Thanksgiving is pretty much the same as the rest of America.  The turkey is traditionally baked, not deep fried and the sweet potatoes are cooked with brown sugar and topped with marshmellows.  It's not the uniqueness nor the complexity of the dishes that make the meal so delicious, it's the environment in which it's prepared and served.  My parents, brother and sister, niece and nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles all enjoy each others' company and value the time we spend together as a family.  It's within the context of breaking bread with those we hold dear that the foods we share bring about a visceral feeling of home, of family and fond memories of those no longer with us.  It takes a great cook to get all that onto a table!!  And speaking of tables, I'm still at the kids' table!  That's me with Philip and Gavin at the folding table!

 

The temperature was in the mid-70s and the sky clear and windless.  After eating, we all hung out outside under the carport and played games.  The board games change throughout the years, depending on the ages of the "kids" and what's available, but trivia games are always a hoot.  My nephew Andy brought over his washer game.  For some reason, beanbags seem a little too Yankee, so they are substituted with metal washers down here- yes, the kind you use with nuts and bolts.  I don't know the history of using washers in the cornhole toss game, so if any of my Southern readers care to comment, please enlighten me!

 

As usual, the day ended with everyone lying around the TV watching either football or a movie.  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving day surrounded by all you are thankful for! 

On the move

The last month or so has been quite a whirlwind- and yes, that's my excuse for being so tardy with my posts!  Not long after my ride south, a group of us flew out to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA for a week of meetings.  It was an exhausting week of program discussions and of saying good-bye to a truly amazing group of professionals.  Those program discussions and farewells would become the theme of my days for the better part of October.

The cycle of military transfers is a unique evolution.  Known as a PCS (Permanent Change of Station), receiving orders to a new duty station starts a cascade of events and emotions.  There's the excitement of moving on to a new challenge and meeting new people, but that's usually tempered by the feeling that there's so much more left to do at the current assignment and having to leave good friends.  For those of you who have never experienced PCSing personally, it's hard to articulate how all-encompassing the process is.  Every project you've worked on must be either finalized or readied for your replacement.  As is often the case, not only will your replacement likely not arrive until well after your departure, but sometimes your replacement may not even be identified before your departure.  So take a moment to reflect on how you would ready every thing you do at your job for an unknown person coming in after an unidentified gap of coverage.  Even with the benefit of communicating with your replacement, it's hard to download all the history, contacts and documents necessary to provide them with context needed to help them succeed.  Beyond the actual workload, when you PCS, you are leaving behind all your co-workers, friends and routines.  It's not like they all fall off the face of the earth, but the dynamics as you know it ceases to exist once you process out of your job and locale.  Most of us that have been around the block a few times understand that although you can always go back to a place, you can never go back to that place in time that it once was to you.  I speak from experience- this is my 12th move in the last 23 years- 2 of which were overseas relocations.  I have to say though, having professional movers do the packing and loading and being able to purge my household every couple of years makes the physical move much easier!

So with this context and a bit of melancholy, I will share a few of the events from the last two weeks. 

On my last day of work, our office had an historical field trip known in the Army as a "staff ride."  Fort Bragg and the surrounding areas are full of civil war sites.  When I'm out riding my bike, I usually stop to read historical site markers and have visited some of the buildings and cemeteries described on them, but none of them were civil war sites actually on Fort Bragg.  With a few cups of coffee in us and enough snivel gear to guard against the chilly day, we gathered for a brief on the Civil War Battle at Monroe's Crossroads from an archaeologist and cultural advisor at Fort Bragg.  He set the stage for what we were about to see out in the field by putting the battle in context in regards to the phase of the Civil War in which it occurred, the mindset of the local population, local economy, weather conditions, background and personalities of each of the leaders involved.

It's one thing to read about a battle that happened nearly 150 years ago, but it's another to stand on the actual battleground with an expert helping you to visualize how it unfolded.  Armed with the nuances of the event from the morning brief, I was able to really put myself into the boots of the Civil War Soldiers who fought in the battle.  Well, I put myself into their heavy, uncomfortable uniforms and situation as much I could as I stood on a peaceful piece of land in ACUs swaddled in snivel gear and cushioned combat boots!

At the conclusion of the staff ride, everyone rallied up at a local Thai restaurant for my farewell luncheon.  I LOVE Thai food and Fayetteville has no shortage of excellent Asian eating establishments.  Truth be told, my last week in Fayetteville included three lunches of Thai cuisine!

The final farewell was held at the home of my friends Jess and Dano.  If you follow this blog, you are already aware of their culinary prowess from my post on camping with them a while back.

Although I'm no longer in the Navy, my current work environment is similar to that of a pirate ship, and as such, is often referred to as the Black Pearl!  Our office is one-deep each of subject matter experts (SMEs) in about a dozen disciplines.  Representing our individual expertise beyond the capabilities of one-person usually requires us to resort to any means necessary to get the mission accomplished.  Although we don't plunder or pillage (for the most part), we're not above going above, around or, quite frankly through, anyone who stands between us and mission success.  Since skulls and crossed bows or knives are already prevalent throughout the SOF community, it was inevitable that the pirate skull and crossbones became the symbol of our efforts.  Dano did the reference proud with these pirate chocolate cupcakes made from scratch (including the icing) for my party!!!  Christi, Jess, Dano, Rob, Barb and I ate, drank and laughed until our sides hurt.  It was an unforgettable evening with great friends that I already miss.

My last day in Fayetteville offered me one final visit to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum.  This was the third year I went there to honor Veterans Day; this was the third year that the weather was absolutely gorgeous and offered a crisp, cloudless backdrop for the flags posted everywhere.

With so many celebrations commemorating my time at Fort Bragg and quality time with good friends and exceptional co-workers, I was able to leave feeling satisfied that my tour here was productive and that I am ready for the next assignment.  I drove the 14 hours between NC and LA straight through and am now hanging out at my parents' house for a few weeks before reporting into Fort Sam Houston.  I'm sure I'll have some food pics to post before leaving for Texas as I spend some time at home with my family... 

Slow Ride

didi

So it was a quick turn-around for part two of my vacation time.  On Sunday, Monica flew out of NC after our week-long beach odyssey and on Monday, I mounted my Streetglide and headed west.

I don't know if it's really a bucket list, but somewhere in my head is a list of things I'd like to accomplish and places I'd like to visit over my lifetime.  There are very few things on the list that I haven't done, or at least attempted, but as soon as I check off one item, I seem to add about 3 more!

Front motorcycle parking outside communal building.

Ever since I got stationed in NC, I've wanted to do the famous rides found along the NC/TN border in the Great Smoky Mountains.  My camping trip with Jess and Dano a few weekends ago into a nearby area just added to my conviction that I'd make it happen before I left NC.  In a few months, I'll be transferring to San Antonio, TX so I knew I had to find a way to fit this riding in not only before I moved, but also before the weather got too chilly for me to enjoy it.  As it turned out, I cut the weather piece a little close, but in the end, it all worked out.

Backside of Ironhorse.  Camping and cabins across the creek.

Since it was still good riding weather for anyone born north of Baton Rouge, I brushed aside my usual tendency to just roll into a town and try my luck at finding lodging and actually got online and made a reservation.  The original intent was to stage out of Robbinsonville, NC at the foot of some epic rides for a couple of days, then roll on to the Natchez Trace Trail down to Louisiana.  As luck would have it, the two days I planned on staying in the mountains were some of the wettest on record this year.  My desire to experience riding in the Smoky Mountains prompted me to extend my stay which allowed me a rainless, albeit chilly, riding day in some beautiful country.

Upstairs loft overlooking the Great room at Ironhorse.

Before I launch into a narrative about the actual riding, I have to give kudos to a great little nugget I found online.  The Ironhorse Motorcycle Lodge in Stecoah, NC proved to be a highlight of my week long riding trek.  All of the pictures in this post so far were taken at Ironhorse.  You would think that a day and a half of solid rain would cause a biker to lament her bad luck and curse the weather, but this place actually made even poor riding weather turn into a great opportunity.  This place has camping, bunk houses, private rooms with baths and whole cabins to stay in.  The best part though, is the huge communal building where everyone eats and hangs out to compare rides, equipment, riding stories and food.  The bad weather did nothing more than prompt most of us to hang out and make new friends.

Chris, Jackie & Brian out front of the Dragon hat store!

There are numerous pros and cons to traveling alone.  One of the definite benefits is that I'm much more approachable, which in itself is both a pro and a con!  It only took a half a day of pouring rain for me to make three new friends.  Chris, Jackie and Brian had ridden down from Ohio and had already done several of the rides on my agenda.  We spent the morning all hanging out talking bikes and getting to know each other before we spied a break in the clouds.  We were all itching to do some riding, so we donned rain gear and off we went.    As you can see in this pic of us at the entrance to the Tail of the Dragon, we got a little wet on our roll-out, but we didn't care even a little bit!  We avoided the more technical rides since the roads were so slick, but we still managed to ride the Hell-Bender 28, see some beautiful scenery and enjoy some curvy, flowing roads.

Click on pic.  Can you make out the dragon over the Cherohala Skyway?

A cold front rolled in that night so we were greeted with low 50s temperatures the next morning.  For my intrepid Buckeye friends, these temps didn't even register as something that needed a reaction.  But for this Cajun girl, I was sporting a full arsenal of snivel gear on a body that rested on a heated seat (yes, my new ride has all the bells and whistles!).

Jackie, Chris and Brian had already ridden the Dragon before my arrival, so I escorted them on the Cherohola Parkway as they made the trek back home towards OH.

Trail of the Dragon "Tree of Shame"

After parting ways with my new friends at the end of the Cherohala Skyway, I continued to make the loop that would take me on the Tail of the Dragon and back to the Ironhorse Lodge.  Luckily, the day warmed a little and I was able to relax and feel the road beneath my tires as I  rambled next to lakes, farmland and beautiful homesteads.  Once I hit the section of US 129 known as the Tail of the Dragon however, sightseeing ceased and I concentrated on the road ahead.  The road is so storied as treacherous that there's even a "Tree of Shame" on the NC side of it in which hangs parts left on the road by cyclists taking the turns too fast.  In order to document a biker's epic, or tragic, ride, there are a few professional photographers set up in some pretty hairy curves along the Dragon.  If you want to get a feel for what the ride is like, check out these websites:  www.killboy.com, www.us129photos.com, www.moonshinephoto.com.

There's no doubt that the 318 curves in 11 miles were technical and challenging; a biker had gone over the edge while I was riding it resulting in his bike resting 30 feet below in a ravine (thankfully, he walked away).  But I didn't find this stretch of highway any more difficult than the numerous mountain roads I prowled as I learned to ride a motorcycle in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  Nevertheless, the Dragon was on my list of rides to do, so I enjoyed the journey and added it to my collection of experiences.

Natchez Trace Trail next to Ross R Barnett Reservoir in MS.

                                                                                     With all these notorious rides now under my belt, I pointed my bike southwest and made my way to the Natchez Trace Trail.    This trail extends 444 miles from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS through three states and 10,000 years of North American History.  The route was once a footpath that bisected the traditional homelands of the Natchez, Chicksaw and Choctaw nations.  Now, it's a well-maintained two-lane highway closed to commercial traffic that doesn't have a single stop sign or red light for 444 miles!  Well, it was actually shut down from Jackson to Natchez, MS for upgrades, but other than that, no stops!  For a biker who enjoys scenery more than technical curves, this stretch of asphalt was the perfect way to see a large portion of MS.  Along the way, I saw numerous wild turkey and deer grazing along the side of the road, as well as seemingly kamikaze butterfly colonies that coated the ferring of my Streetglide after only a few miles.  A humorous interaction occurred at almost every gas stop once I left the Smokey Mountains.  I would shut off my bike and unscrew the gas tank cover to fill the tank.  Inevitably, some guy would get out of his car or truck, saunter over, and feel obliged to comment "That's a big bike."  I'd just smile and reply, "I'm a big girl."  Really, what is the appropriate response to that comment?  You don't have to be big to ride a big bike.  Quite a few guys I know wouldn't be able to lift an 850 lb bike off the ground if they dropped it, so it has nothing to do with picking it up.  The only issue related to the weight of the bike that I have to pay attention to is not parking it on a down slope.  It has no reverse, so backing the Streetglide out under leg power up a hill is much harder than it was with the Sportster!  

Riding the Tail of the Dragon. Photo by Moonshinephoto.com.

There seems to be a common thread that runs through some of my most pleasurable past-times- wind and warmth!  Although I enjoy a gentle breeze when I'm sitting on a porch swing or hanging out on the beach, it seems that a forceful, hot wind rushing past me causes my senses to come alive.  On a beautiful summer ride in Colorado between Colorado Springs and Canyon City on my Sporty several years back, it dawned on me how similar the feeling of riding my motorcycle was to riding in a boat in South Louisiana.  It was the warmth of the sun combined with the sound and feel of the rushing wind that felt utterly familiar and comforting.  In those precious 4-6 seconds of military static line parachuting before the chute opens or the glorious 30 or so seconds of free fall involved in skydiving, I have the same sensation.  Something about the heat and adrenaline rush of air whipping past me focuses my mind.  In those moments, I'm in the moment.  Work, relationships, economics, politics, every world dilemma recedes to some unregistered part of my brain and all I feel is that moment.  Whether I'm falling through the sky at terminal velocity or gliding over asphalt on two mechanized wheels, I have no thoughts other than the sensations of that moment in time.  It's just me and my interpretation of the sensations.  Just me and the consequences of my actions.  It's just me and whatever power controls my fate.

My ride spanned over 1000 miles and 6 states in 5 days.  I made new friends, saw some amazing scenery, reconnected with the sheer joy of a hobby and ended with precious time with family.  My week alone on the road reaffirmed my independence, yet my ability to enjoy those I encounter along my journey.  It's taken me a lot of years to stop and enjoy the proverbial "smell of the roses", but I'm finally coming to a place in life that allows me to stay and enjoy the experience I'm in instead of focusing on the next one to come.  It's still a conscious effort to be there, but there I am :-)       

Beaching with my Sis!

I would've posted for the last two weeks, but I was too busy collecting experiences to blog about!  Lately, I've been feeling like I can't keep up with my own life, so a couple of weeks ago, I revisited the Outer Banks with Monica.  We purposely chose a couple of weeks after Labor Day so we could avoid the tourist crowds, but our timing just barely allowed us to enjoy the last warm breaths of summer.  The weather was a little cooler and the wind a little stronger than we would've liked, but we did our best to be beach bums anyway!

With both of us armed with fancy-smancy digital cameras, it wasn't hard to fill in the overcast hours with photo safaris.  The Outer Banks (or OBX as the locals write it) is quite photogenic.  From light houses and fishing piers to sunrises and sunsets, there was never a lack of subject matter to click a shutter at. 

One of our favorite stops along the OBX was Jennette's Pier at Nags Head, NC.  This recently rebuilt landmark is not only a great fishing hole, it is multi-sensory education on angling, sea life, coastal ecology, and preservation.  You can't walk 10 feet without coming face to face with information on how the tides affect water temperature, how to clean a fish, size regulations on different species of fish, or even how storms affect the coastline and how forceful hurricane strength winds can be (as felt in a hurricane wind simulator booth!).  This was definitely one of our favorite stops along the coast.

Although I had already toured the Wright Brothers National Memorial, I discovered tidbits I had missed on my first visit.  It's a fascinating story how the two brothers went from bike builders to the fathers of aviation.  Standing on top of the memorial overlooking the coast and sand dunes, it's not hard to understand why the brothers chose Kitty Hawk as the locale for the pursuit of flight.

One of the little nuggets of history I had missed the first time around was the wall of portraits of aviation trail blazers.  One that caught my eye was the story of Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick.  In 1913, this four foot adventurer became the first woman to parachute from an airplane by descending 2000 feet under a canopy.  According to the placard accompanying her portrait, during a jump in 1914 when she was demonstrating pack parachutes to the US Army, her line became tangled and she cut it, causing her to perform the first free-fall parachute jump.  By the time she retired in 1922, she had completed more than 1100 jumps!  Now that's super-sized courage packed in a pint-sized package!

The premonition I had on my previous journey to the Cape Hatteras light house when I decided to forgo the stair climbing to the top came true on this trip.  Monica and I climbed all 248 steps to view the island habitats from the top.  After climbing the equivalent of a 12 story building, we took a breather at the top by taking in the 360 degree view of beach, marsh, ocean and wildlife.  Pretty cool!

Although the lighthouses have become the symbol of coastal life in the east, there are numerous US Life Saving Service Stations up and down the OBX coastline that are just as symbolic of the culture.  In the late 19th Century and even into the early 20th Century, Surfmen assigned to the stations would rescue sailors from ships in peril due to hurricanes and enemy attacks.  The lighthouses may have prevented the loss of many Sailors and cargo, but it was the Surfman who risked life and limb to save them once they were met with danger.

All in all, we had a great vacation despite the less than cooperative weather.  We managed to end the week with tan lines, some great pics, bellies full of crab cakes, and lots of shared memories to add to our collections.

Labor Day Weekend Camping

You gotta love 4-day weekends!  I'm sure you know by now that there are many things about the military that I love, but add to the list 3-day holiday weekends extended into 4-dayers!!  Before I launch into a narrative about my great camping trip, I just have to gloat about the great start to my  holiday weekend- an Airborne Op.  Although final manifest time was 0630 Thursday morning and I didn't actually get airborne until 1200 noon, I had one of the best jumps yet, on any platform, out of a UH-60 (Blackhawk)!  We had to wait around the DZ (drop zone) for about 5 hours for the fog to clear and the cloud ceiling to rise, but in the end, it was a spectacular day to jump out of a helicopter!!

Friday morning I met up with Jess and her husband Dano for the trek into Western NC to Brevard.  I'm embarrassed to say that I've been in NC for almost 4 years and this is the first camping trip I've gone on.  Oh well, better late than never!  The town of Brevard is just south of Asheville and is jam packed with great hiking and mountain biking trails leading to hundreds of waterfalls.  The trails were lush with greenery and mushrooms in an assortment of colors- white, purple, yellow and even orange!

Usually I shy away from tourist attraction areas over holiday weekends, but we made an exception on this trip and it worked out to our advantage.  Jess and Dano turned out to be very compatible traveling partners for me.  As Jess so accurately described us, we're solar powered- we sleep and wake with the sun.  It's great being at a point in my life where I no longer have to prove that I can party til the sun comes up.  Been there, done that.  Now I go to bed when I'm tired and I wake up when I'm done sleeping.  Being early birds certainly worked out to our advantage this weekend.  We were up with the sun, had coffee and breakfast around the campfire, and were hiking the trails long before the hoards of holiday sightseers where out and about.  By the time the afternoon showers rolled in, we were done hiking and were amusing ourselves with small town sites where the rain was no concern.  As if on cue, every afternoon, the water from above would trickle to a stop by the time we were ready to put food on the campfire for dinner.

At this point in the story, let me just dispel any visions of tasteless camping food you might be conjuring up.  In true Jess and Dano fashion, meals are a gourmet event, even if it involves a campfire and bug spray!  This pic is a fine example of how we "roughed" in when it came to mealtime.  In addition to the beef and veggie kabobs you see over the grill, there are cloves of fresh garlic and mushrooms simmering in the foil packet at the lower left of the pic.  Evening meals consisted of kabobs and mushrooms or Burgundy mushroom hamburgers and roasted corn on the cob accompanied by the ubiquitous Asheville area micro brew. 

Even in the outback, a feast is not complete without dessert.  Enter graham crackers, marshmellows and dark chocolate!  Setting the chocolate covered graham cracker over the grill while roasting the marshmellows was the key to running-down-your-arms smores!  Sooooo good :-) 

I came back to work today refreshed from the outdoor adventure.  A pleasant break from the usual need for a vacation from my vacations.  How can I possibly be anything but relaxed after a long weekend in nature with good friends?!

Girfriends

No big road trips or overseas jaunts to report, but a great night out with the girls deserved a pic post!  As usual, Christi and Jess made an ordinary evening out turn into a social fashion event.

Enjoy your week and make time for some friends :-)

Redeployed

Overlooking a valley in Afghanistan

The explanation for my lack of internet presence over the last several months is quite simple- I was deployed to Afghanistan.  Professionally and personally, it was an experience that could be described with dozens of adjectives, but I'll sum it up as unique, challenging and rewarding.  I've long considered myself a collector of experiences.  As such, this experience has deepened my understanding of the world and my place in it.  I often marvel at the extraordinary events I have the good fortune of being involved in; this one was no different.

First ferry ride for the new ride

Now that I'm back, my existence has been a whirlwind of unpacking and reintegrating into the responsibilities of running a household.  It sounds like a simple thing, but when you are solely responsible for your domestic life, there's no one to "run the home front" when you're gone for extended periods of time.  Sure, my neighbor picked up my mail and would go into my house a few times a week to make sure everything was OK, but think about all the little everyday household duties that pop up on a regular basis (even when you're not there to generate them!).  With most bills on auto pay, finances are pretty much on autopilot, but random things like vehicle registrations and verification paperwork for various issues pop up and must be taken care of.  It's a good thing I'm an organized person!  With the majority of those issues taken care of, I made a quick trip to Louisiana to visit my family.  It was a short break, but I absolutely enjoyed being home and hanging out with my parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.  Every time I go home I'm reminded of how fortunate I am to be from a place that still values family get-togethers.

Sunrise from front door

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

I returned to NC from my trip home recharged and ready to pick up my new purchase... a 2012 Harley-Davidson Street Glide!  At 850 lbs, it's much bigger and heavier than my 2006 Sportster, but the bulk of my new bike makes it a much more comfortable ride with luxuries I didn't realize I would appreciate so much (like cruise control, a stereo and a fuel gage!).  I figured the best way to break in my new ride and get familiar with it was to take a road trip, so I pointed east and started riding.  I hit the Atlantic Coast then turned north to fulfill a longtime desire to ride two wheels up the Outer Banks.

Riding in the Extortion 17 Memorial Ride in Virginia Beach.  Photo by Rob Skinner

I stayed overnight in Atlantic Beach, Cape Hatteras and Nags Head and ate my weight in crab cakes at every location!  Unbelievably, I don't have any food pics to post from this trip :-(  I'll blame my slip in culinary narrative to being overly excited about my new ride!  In addition to all the natural beauty along the route, I also took in some made-made sites of interest like the Cape Hatteras Light House built in 1870.  At 198.5 feet, it holds the distinction of being the world's tallest brick lighthouse.  After having run a few miles on the beach that morning and now wearing riding boots instead of sneakers, I opted out of climbing the stairs to the top but I have a feeling I'll be back to revisit that option.  Up the shore at Kitty Hawk, I visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial and stood in the path of the first mechanical flight.  It was really cool to stand on the hill from which hundreds of glider flights were launched during the preparation process for the mechanical flight.  As I stood in the field visualizing what it must've been like during that time, a Navy helicopter swooped in for a low pass over the field.  It was refreshing to see a technologically advanced generation still acknowledging the contributions of our forefathers.   

Karen, Rob and Barb enjoying Guinness at an Irish Pub

With my tour of the coast and beach time complete, I crossed the border into Virginia and rode to Norfolk to hang out with my buddy Jim for a night.  Unfortunately, Karla is on a ship right now but Jim and I enjoyed catching up even for just a short time.  After a leisurely breakfast with Jim and some friends, I headed towards Virginia Beach where I met up with some other friends to do the Extortion 17 Memorial Ride.  It was a year ago, on 6 Aug 2012 that a CH-47 helicopter (call sign Extortion 17) was shot down by enemy fire in Afghanistan and we lost 31 heroes- 30 Navy, Air Force and Army active duty military and 1 military working dog.  Over 1000 bikers showed up to ride the 20-something mile route through Virginia Beach in honor of their sacrifice and to raise money for the families left behind.  To find out  more information about these heroes, go to the memorial ride website.  The very meaningful and enjoyable day ended with an evening of food, drinks and great conversation with my colleague and friend Rob and his wife Barbara.  As usual, there was no lack of topics to cover or foods to discuss!  With enough time and beer, I'm pretty sure the three of us could solve most of the world's problems :-)


So now that I'm back, I should be able to post regularly again.  Well, as long as there's something noteworthy going on for me to post about!  It's good to be back.

Fashion Intervention

OK, for those of you who know me well, brace yourself.  Today I took a day off from work along with my two good friends, Christi and Jessica to go shopping! 

I hate to shop.  Period, end of story.  I don't have a flare for fashion and apparently my body just isn't proportional according to garment manufacturers.  The end result is that I don't buy new clothes until it is an absolute necessity, which basically means that I have an upcoming event for which I have no appropriate attire.  At that point, I usually begrudgingly head off to a mall and walk through several stores and walk right out because I don't see anything I'd actually wear.  On the rare occasion that something catches my eye, I may try it on only to be disgusted with the fact that whomever designers have in mind when they make women's clothes, it's obviously not a woman with a build or taste like me.

After rummaging through my closet in an attempt to get ready for dinner with friends or to pack for a trip unsuccessfully one too many times lately, I emailed Christi and Jess a week or so ago and requested some shopping assistance.  What I got was a fashion intervention! 

My only previous experience with requesting shopping assistance was not a pleasant one.   The week before defending a thesis years ago during college, I set out to a local mall in search of a business suit.  There I stood in the middle of an upscale women's clothing store in Teva sandals, Gramicchi climbing shorts and battered tank top sporting a buzz-cut hairdo, broken and chipped finger and toenails from a recent rock climbing trip and looking a bit uncomfortable.  A well dressed sales woman walked up to me and politely, yet reluctantly, asked me if she could be of assistance.  I surely looked out of place in that store and I'm sure she figured I'd be a huge waste of her time.  I kind of let out a sigh, opened my arms to my sides to reveal my disheveled appearance and asked helplessly "Can you make me a girl?"  At this point, the sales woman's face lit up and she exclaimed "I've been waiting for this day!  Come with me!!"  I can only describe what happened next as painful yet successful.  I tried on endless outfits that obviously did not suit my body type or personality, but I did finally manage to leave the store quite some time later with a professional-looking business suit in which to defend my thesis and present my results at a national conference. 

So when the phone call came last night establishing the time and place that this shopping adventure was to start, I started to get a little nervous.  Both of these friends are quite fashionable.  Christi is off the chart when it comes to girlishness and shoe collections.  Jess isn't quite as far down the fashionista spectrum as Christi, but she is usually put together very well, especially when the occasion calls for it.  And then there's me.  I had visions of that sales woman all those years ago torturing me with changes of misguided outfits.  But man was I in for a surprise today!

Full combat shopping!  No other way to describe it.  Three women spread out between 1 or 2 dressing rooms all in various stages of undress and dress trying on clothes, exchanging clothes and critiquing as we went (they were both shopping for themselves as well as me).  Christi and Jess know me well enough to identify my style (or lack of actually) and only presented me with items they knew fit with my personality and body type.  I'd get handed a garment, get it half way on and be told, "take it off, it's not right".  Another item would come flying my way, I'd put it on, get scrutinized for a couple of seconds and then one of them would be out heading for a different size or color.  Now this is the way to shop!  These two women knew exactly what I wanted, even when I didn't!  They took me just far enough outside my comfort zone to help me see that I don't always have to leave the house in a dri-fit shirt, jeans and running shoes.  After almost 6 hours at the mall and a significant dent in my banking account, I have a whole new wardrobe.  Both Jess and Christi emerged from the adventure with some pretty sweet outfits also!  It was a fun day spent with two great friends, and I won't have to shop for clothes again for many years!!  Thank you ladies, I had a blast :-)     

Out West

Garden of the Gods

After a four year absence from Colorado Springs, work brought me back to the place I owned my first home.  I still remembered my way around for the most part, a lot of sights looked and felt familiar.  I had a bitter-sweet relationship with Colorado Springs when I lived there, but I truly do look on that experience with appreciation.

I took some vacation time and flew in the weekend before meetings were to start to catch up with some friends in the area.  There's never enough time to see everyone you would like to when you only have a few days so I apologize to anyone I didn't get to touch base with on this trip.  That just means I'll have to plan a return visit before too long.

David, Parker and Suzanne making smores

My first night in town was spent with Suzanne & David and the kids.  Suzanne was my Harley-riding partner and we shared a lot of stress-relieving miles together while I claimed Colorado as my state of residence.  We met during a Riders Edge motorcycle safety course at Pikes Peak Harley Davidson and purchased our own bikes within weeks of each other.  We experienced the thrills and hazards of bike riding while becoming "biker chicks" over the years.  You would think that it would be hard to grow as friends when we're each on our own bikes and unable to communicate while actually riding, but it's surprising how much can be shared between two women while stopped at red-lights, resting at coffee shops and hanging out together during weekend motorcycle getaways!  My first night in Colorado Springs was spent hanging out on the deck of their home making smores with Suzanne and her family.

Sydney, Deb, Bryce, Scott and Westies galore!

Next stop on the Colorado Springs friends tour was a night with Deb & Scott and family.  Deb and I worked together at Fort Bragg until she and her family made the move out West.  I have the amazing job that I have now because Deb saw some potential in me and pushed to get me liberated from the position I was originally assigned on Fort Bragg.  Our program is the success that it is now because of Deb's vision and leadership early on in the process.  It felt good to bring her up to speed on the advances and successes of what she started.  Their family had just welcomed five Westies puppies to the household so there wasn't a dull moment during my stay!  It was great to see her enjoying "retirement" and spending time with her family.

The final personal hangout before getting down to the work agenda that brought me to Colorado Springs in the first place was lunch and a leisurely afternoon visiting with Lance & Jen and the girls.  The visit was marked by scrumptious food, talented entertainment and endless laughs while catching up on each others' lives. Lance and I were part of Sport Sciences/Sport Performance at the USOC during fun, but sometimes volatile, years.  It was great to see him and his family so successful and happy post five-ring career.

Spiced pumpkin seed Nilgai antelope dinner at Craftwood Inn

The next few days included very productive meetings.  Since this isn't a work blog, there's no need to go into details, but suffice it to say that I had the distinct pleasure of bringing together two sets of motivated, high-speed professionals from my various careers; very constructive and fulfilling! 

With many of the colleagues accompanying me on this trip never having been to Colorado Springs, I felt the need to play tour guide.  I led them on a drive overlooking and then through the Garden of the Gods on our way to the Craftwood Inn in Manitou Springs.  Almost a dozen of us savored an exquisite dinner of Colorado cuisine and each other's company at what amounted to a culinary event!  The samplers of grilled Colorado elk, spiced pumpkin seed antelope, pepper grilled red deer, and prime grade New York strip helped us to narrow down our carnivore meal selections.  All of it was delicious, but I chose the antelope accompanied by an Australian Shiraz and finished with a shared Ecuadorian Ariba dark chocolate mousse.  Very tasty!!!

Getting stung at the Golden Bee!

The next night a few of us spent our last night in Colorado Springs partaking of pub fare, adult beverages and sing-alongs at the Golden Bee!  The Broadmoor Hotel had this 19th century pub shipped from England and reassembled at it's current location in Colorado Springs.  A ragtime piano player performs popular sing-along tunes for the crowd to accompany him.  It's great fun to eat, sing and drink as the wait staff randomly comes by the table and slings bee stickers at you.

It was gratifying to catch up with friends and colleagues on this trip; I absolutely enjoyed being out from behind my desk for a few days!  Although Colorado is beautiful and fun to visit, the trip reminded me of the reasons I chose to no longer live there.  The dry, arid environment left me with a daily nose bleed and feeling like a shrivled up prune!  The mountains are beautiful, but the instant necessity for a jacket as soon as the sun slips behind Pikes Peak and the dry brown landscape renewed my appreciation for lush green, humid, sea-level locations.  As my dad always says, good thing different folks like different surroundings or else we'd all be clumped up in one part of the world.  Something for everyone!!

      

I thought I'd deviate from my typical blog style and post about a topic a little closer to home... reading!

I have been an avid reader from as far back as I can remember.  My mom would take us to the public library in the summers and we'd sign up for reading clubs.  Oh, the joy of coming home with an armful of books!  I think the librarian, and even my mom on some occasions, would think I was overly ambitious with the height of the stack of books I'd want to check out at one time.  But I could not be deterred.  I would read until my eyes were red and burning, but I just couldn't stop.  I'd read Nancy Drew by the light of a flashlight with the covers pulled over my head long after bed time.   No matter the type of book, I was addicted to the feeling of being transported to another world.  My own life was perfectly fine, but the glimpse into one other than my own was a guilty little pleasure in which I loved to indulge.

In my mid-20s, I got the inkling that I may want to go to college.  The Navy broadened my horizons in too many ways to articulate, but the yearning for an education was certainly one of them.  I had never really been exposed to higher learning and what obtaining a college education would entail.  On a commercial flight one day, I pulled an airline magazine from the seat pocket and was flipping through the retail items when a subscription to a book club listing the "100 greatest books of all time" caught my eye.  Of course I couldn't afford to opt into such a subscription, but I tore out that page listing the 100 greatest books and decided I would start preparing myself for college.  I don't know why, but in my naive mind, a college education was synonymous with a literature degree!  So I decided right then and there to start reading those classics so that I would have a head start on college when the time came.  It makes me chuckle now to think how misguided my perception of college was!

Several degrees later and what seems like a lifetime of experiences, I've come to appreciate that reading those classic books may not have really prepared me for university, but it certainly helped to round out my outlook of the world.  I still love to read and have abstained from cable TV subscriptions for most of my adult life in favor of written words. Although my preference is usually for "real life" stuff, I occasionally partake in fiction of various varieties.  I tend to be turned off by books, movies, workouts, diets, trends, etc. that enjoy mass buy-in (I don't like being a follower!), but recently, the story line of the Hunger Games intrigued me enough to go out and buy the book.  I'm about halfway through it and have not been disappointed by my concession to pop culture yet.

Just as some people can recall a particular smell or scene associated with a journey, I'm able to look back on most long trips throughout my life and recollect the book I was reading throughout the journey.  During my frequent deployments to Crete, Greece in my Navy days, I read the Odyssey by Homer; one of the first books on the 100 classic books list I conquered!  I could relate to the epic journey of Odysseus while experiencing the culture and geography first hand.  Even with several years of living away from home under my belt, I felt connected to the hero's drive to get back home to hearth and family.  My paperback edition of this classic read is marked up with meanings of words I didn't know; definitions scribbled in the margins was the start of my "higher" education.  It was during the exploration of this book that I began to understand the shortcomings of my own vocabulary and refinement.  Only by exposing yourself to foreign concepts and opposing views can you truly formulate an informed opinion.  Another Greek culture inspired book that resonated with me during that time in my life was Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.  The dichotomy of the live-life-like-there's-no-tomorrow Alexis Zorba and the introspective Basil seemed to speak to the opposing ends of the spectrum of my own personality. 

The association of books and journeys stand out in my mind as much as the food and culture of each.  It was during my travels surrounding the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens Greece that I tackled the daunting tome of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  The epic European vacation I took with Andy and Alexis in 2006 is forever marked by the strength of the heroine in the fictional biography of Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund.  From a single sentence mention of the wife of the the legendary hero in Moby Dick, the author weaved an intriguing story of feminine strength for this novel.  While living in Coronado, I read Combat Corpsman by Greg McPartlin. The story was the true life account of the Vietnam experience of the owner of a popular local dining establishment called McPs Pub two blocks from my apartment.  The memorabilia and stories filling the restaurant had added meaning once coupled with the back story provided in the book.  Driving home last Christmas, I listened to the audio version of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.  I found myself so engrossed in the eerily relevant story line the I actually postponed needed gas and bathroom stops in order to finish a chapter or extended dialogue.  I may not be able to share insight into the latest episode of American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, but I can certainly grasp the significance of the question "Who is John Galt"!

My hope is that this blog post will inspire you to shut off the boob tube for a couple extra hours a night and indulge in a good book.  No matter your genre preference, there's something for everyone out there! 

Out and about locally

Riding the Sandhills

My life has been revolving around work and the weather lately.  The weather has been beautifully warm during the week but then getting cooler and/or overcast on the weekends.  I'm not complaining too much about the good weather during the week though because we managed to get in a textbook perfect jumping day last week.  A flawless exit, accurate canopy navigation and a soft, clear landing made me a happy jumper last week.  It's amazing how an afternoon away from paperwork participating in a "real" Army event can put everything back in perspective!

Continuing on my windblown escapades, the short deviation from the pattern of cool and overcast conditions yesterday morning provided a perfect opportunity to soak in the 80 degree weather and roll out some miles.  Clear skies and roads didn't last much longer than early afternoon, but it was enough to refresh my spirit and clear my mind.  Therapy on two wheels for $3.90 a gallon is a steal in my book!

Even though the weather has fluctuated between winter and spring the last few weeks, mother nature is clearly leaning towards the downhill slide to summer.  Dogwoods, azaleas and numerous other blooming plants that I don't know the names of have provided an explosion of color to my daily commute, rides and walks.  Although I didn't get a good picture of any to post today, the brilliant red and fuscia pink shades of azaleas around here remind me of my Mama (Grandmother) Daigle's front yard growing up.  She had a green thumb like no other making her yard a sight to behold during any season. It may not be Louisiana but I'm fortunate to live in a quaint, historic downtown district where homeowners take great pride in their landscaping.  There's one particular house down the street whose yard is always immaculately manicured, and right now it's a sea of tulips!  The first time I can remember acknowledging a tulip was on a two week detachment to Iceland during my Air National Guard days.  Although there was still snow on the ground, there was no denying the coming of spring as red and yellow tulips pushed their way through the slush in their pursuit of sunlight.  For some reason, those colors and flowers have stuck in my mind over the years.

Airborne & Special Operations Museum lobby

Since the weather today wasn't as bright and warm as I prefer for outdoor adventures, I decided to make another trip to the Airborne & Special Operations Museum.  Just as I've visited the Naval Aviation Museum dozens of times while stationed and visiting Pensacola over the years, I've taken many outings to the ASOM since being stationed at Fort Bragg.  With temporary exhibits rotating through on a regular basis, there's always something new to take in.  I used to roll my eyes and bemoan history classes during high school, but now that I'm old enough to have lived through some of the events now depicted as "history", it's suddenly much more interesting!

With the opening of the North Carolina Veterans Park last year right across the parking lot from the ASOM, there's a ton of things to see in the two landmarks.  The 15 foot "Iron Mike" statue posted out front of the museum  symbolizes the World War II era paratrooper and represents all Paratroopers who have come through Fort Bragg.  The overcast sky today didn't provide good contrasting for my outdoor pictures, but I'll try again another day.

Like everyone reading this blog, I'm gearing up for another busy week.  I hope everyone has a fulfilling week waiting for them!