We were out of town this past week. My cousin's son got married near Annapolis last weekend. Janis and I drove up to Annapolis to stay with most of the wedding party at the Westin Hotel. We had a ton of stuff to take, so we went in the truck (a Nissan Frontier), which was the first time we'd used it on a road trip. Turned out to be fairly decent on the highway: it loafed along quietly at 70-80, rode pretty well, and gave us lots of room and visibility. Still, the drive took 10 1/2 hours, which was a couple of hours longer than we really like to be in a car. The dogs were perfect little angels, though. Not a complaint out of them at all.
The Westin is a pretty high-end hotel. When you see the valets parking Ferraris, Mercedes and Porsches outside the front door, you know it'll be tony. But when you're forking out that kind of money for a room, you'd expect to get free internet and other services, and the Westin fell short on that score. Seemed like everything was available, but only for a price that was usually exorbitant, like $3 for a can of Coke. Getting nickel-and-dimed to death is annoying, particularly when it's really $5'd-to $10'd to death.
On the flip side, it was good to see family again, some of whom we hadn't seen in years. We met the bride for the first time, and she's a very lovely, intelligent, and accomplished woman. Logan won the lottery with this young lady. We wandered around Annapolis a bit during the day to visit old haunts. In the evening was the rehearsal dinner at O'Brien's and it was really outstanding. No expense was spared and O'Brien's delivered.
The wedding was on Saturday. Janis had her hair done during the day, while I had to make a last-minute run to Nordstrom's when I discovered that I'd left my tie at home. Ooops! Yes, I'm still hearing about it a week later ... and will probably hear about it for years to come. But we got to the wedding site early anyway. The ceremony was well-done and thankfully not too long. Janis noticed that the bride was wearing a Vera Wang dress, and she looked like a million bucks.
Then there was the dinner and toasts and speeches and music and dancing. It was a great time. Being old farts, J and I left fairly early to let the kids party. "Kids" ... they're all in their late 20's and early 30's, hardly kids at all!
The next morning, we had breakfast with many of the wedding guests and then hit the road. But we didn't go too far: we went to visit some old friends in Maryland for a few days. Oz and Laura have three young kids and that made for a pretty chaotic time. But they're great kids and it was loads of fun to see them. I had two business meetings during the week, but other than that, it was a chaotic/relaxing visit. Until I started coming down with a cold at the end. Being around three Mobile Virus Incubators (MVI's, otherwise known as "kids") will do that to you.
We headed home on Thursday, out to I-81 and down through the Shenandoah Valley. I have long thought that this is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Particularly on that day, as it was clear and bright for most of the trip and traffic was light. My cold, however, hit high gear. Sore throat, feverish, body aches, the whole bit. Janis did a lot of the driving. We got home after a bit less than 9 hours and I hit the rack soon afterward.
So we're home again. I'm over the worst of the cold, thank God, but not in any kind of mood to be productive. All I want to do is lie around and read trashy novels and doze off. There are things that need to be done but, screw it, they'll wait. It's nice to have that option.
The Westin is a pretty high-end hotel. When you see the valets parking Ferraris, Mercedes and Porsches outside the front door, you know it'll be tony. But when you're forking out that kind of money for a room, you'd expect to get free internet and other services, and the Westin fell short on that score. Seemed like everything was available, but only for a price that was usually exorbitant, like $3 for a can of Coke. Getting nickel-and-dimed to death is annoying, particularly when it's really $5'd-to $10'd to death.
On the flip side, it was good to see family again, some of whom we hadn't seen in years. We met the bride for the first time, and she's a very lovely, intelligent, and accomplished woman. Logan won the lottery with this young lady. We wandered around Annapolis a bit during the day to visit old haunts. In the evening was the rehearsal dinner at O'Brien's and it was really outstanding. No expense was spared and O'Brien's delivered.
The wedding was on Saturday. Janis had her hair done during the day, while I had to make a last-minute run to Nordstrom's when I discovered that I'd left my tie at home. Ooops! Yes, I'm still hearing about it a week later ... and will probably hear about it for years to come. But we got to the wedding site early anyway. The ceremony was well-done and thankfully not too long. Janis noticed that the bride was wearing a Vera Wang dress, and she looked like a million bucks.
Then there was the dinner and toasts and speeches and music and dancing. It was a great time. Being old farts, J and I left fairly early to let the kids party. "Kids" ... they're all in their late 20's and early 30's, hardly kids at all!
The next morning, we had breakfast with many of the wedding guests and then hit the road. But we didn't go too far: we went to visit some old friends in Maryland for a few days. Oz and Laura have three young kids and that made for a pretty chaotic time. But they're great kids and it was loads of fun to see them. I had two business meetings during the week, but other than that, it was a chaotic/relaxing visit. Until I started coming down with a cold at the end. Being around three Mobile Virus Incubators (MVI's, otherwise known as "kids") will do that to you.
We headed home on Thursday, out to I-81 and down through the Shenandoah Valley. I have long thought that this is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Particularly on that day, as it was clear and bright for most of the trip and traffic was light. My cold, however, hit high gear. Sore throat, feverish, body aches, the whole bit. Janis did a lot of the driving. We got home after a bit less than 9 hours and I hit the rack soon afterward.
So we're home again. I'm over the worst of the cold, thank God, but not in any kind of mood to be productive. All I want to do is lie around and read trashy novels and doze off. There are things that need to be done but, screw it, they'll wait. It's nice to have that option.
Sounds like a lovely time.
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