How I Spent My Winter Vacation

Number one priority for a winter
vacation: Go where it is summer. My first stop was Texas, where I rode the train pictured here. Bandits pulled a train robbery and were kind enough to pose for pictures and hand out "money" to the kiddies. We rode to Ft Worth, where I enjoyed an original "Dublin Dr
Pepper" made with pure cane sugar, not corn syrup. I really missed this stuff--my in-laws and parents both had plenty in stock for my time with them. While in Ft Worth, I played the tourist and rode the mechanical bull. My sister-in-law took the picture--not sure if she just missed my ride or if she thinks she's funny. Also played 42 one evening, and if you aren't from Texas, you don't know what I'm talking about.
From Dallas I went to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, for a few days where the "Tour of Golf" began. Got in two rounds before heading off to Nashville to visit my sister and her family and a couple other friends in the area. I spent some time playing with the kids and met my niece Macy for the first time, two weeks removed from successful heart surgery. I convinced Cole that the Tooth Fairy sent me to collect on the tooth he swallowed but still got paid for. And Mollie is still best described as "firecracker". Got in two more rounds of golf--nine holes on The Little Course with Brian and a round at Chris and Karen's country club, The Governor's Club. Follow that link and on the main page is a picture of their signature 18th hole--there's more brown than green. Also caught a Nashville Sounds minor league baseball game with my old friend Rus.
From Nashville, went back to HSV for a few days and got in two more rounds of golf, including a 91, my best round ever. Heather suggested I leave my clubs in the States and take off a year again. Umm, no. We looked at going to a minor league ballgame in Little Rock, but they were on a road trip. Next stop
was Oklahoma City for a family reunion where I taught the kids how to play blackjack properly. Spent the weekend visiting with family, most of whom I hadn't seen since my wedding four years ago. Also paid my respects at the Oklahoma City memorial for the Federal Building bombing. Still not sure why some people do the things they do, and why the rest of us haven't learned any better.
After the reunion and back in Dallas, I had lunch with four friends one day, played my annual raquetball game with a couple of them the next morning and had lunch with a couple friends at Shawn's Dickey's Barbecue Pit up in Roanoke. If you have a hankerin' for some good eats, go here. Also played my
seventh and final round of golf at The Tribute, where Heather and I were married. My father-in-law is pictured here on the 18th tee. Hardest. Course. Ever. I will never complain about trees again--links-style roughs with their tall grasses are a killer. During the round, Paul spotted
one of my errant tee shots in the tall grass. He said, "here it is," but as he turned around and walked back toward the fairway, he added, "...next to a big snakeskin." I laughed, thinking he was making a joke about my shot being off the fairway. No. He was serious. Big snakeskins=big snakes. I hit the
ball (no practice swings this time) and cleared out of there, too. That night my mother-in-law wanted to experience a little Sydney eats, so we made sushi. It was good. I liked it. She liked it. Paul--not so much.
We also went to a Frisco Rough Riders baseball game at beautiful Dr Pepper Ballpark--how could it be anything else with a name like that? Found out the Rangers have a player named Adam Morrissey (now at Triple A Oklahoma) from Australia. The game was great, but the visiting Chicken was the star of the night. He is pictured here giving the ump a vision test.
And that is how I spent my winter vacation.
THE END

Cupco World Safari

While I was globetrotting, Heather went
to an art exhibit back here in Sydney, where she purchased the art you see pictured here (click on picture to enlarge). The exhibit was called Cupco World Safari and the artist is Luke Temby. The Sydney Morning Herald covered the Sydney exhibit here. If you read the smh.com article and check out the Cupco website, you'll get an idea of what Temby is all about. He has also recently agreed to a deal where some of his dolls will be mass produced, so if you notice them somewhere, you saw it here first, and we have an original. We have been buying local art during our travels the past few years, but this is probably the first one that is not primarily asthetic. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on it--post your comments.

Globetrotting

It's been a busy month since my last post. I've been back in the US for three weeks, spending time in Dallas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. I've seen nine old friends and twenty-nine family members, played seven rounds of golf and one hour of raquetball, been to two minor league baseball games, ridden a train held up by bandits and have had one complication or another with four out of six flights. I had a good time and am glad I got to spend time with some of you, but it's nice being back in Sydney with my wife. Details and pictures of the trip will be posted in the next few days.