Freddie's Rhubarb Pie A la Mode |
Entrance to the Four Seasons Great Exuma Resort Great Exuma, Bahamas |
Our longtime friend Mark and his girlfriend Lisette |
Pete and Gwen pick us up at the Ft. Lauderdale a Airport |
Henry tees up during his first ever round of golf! The Links at Boynton Beach |
George and Henry get a close-up view of the iguana |
The kids say 'goodbye' to "Grampy Pete" at West Palm Beach Airport |
The genesis of this trip came about when Tee won an award for Director of the Year 2007 through her company back in January. As a result she was invited to an exclusive, company-sponsored getaway to the Four Seasons Great Exuma Resort in the Bahamas. She was not only allowed to take me along, but the company offered to pay for us to have the kids flown down to Florida with us in order to leave them with Tee's parents while Tee and I went to The Bahamas for four nights with the company executives and other award winners. We were thrilled! We had been anxiously looking forward to it ever since it was announced. Little did we know, but the trip would end up exceeding all expectations! Everyone was packed and ready to go the night before our flight because our departure was early on Saturday, May 10th. Henry heard Tee's alarm go off that morning and was dressed and ready to leave to the airport in literally about 30 seconds. He was that excited to go! We parked the car at Diamond Parking and took the shuttle to the airport. Our timing was just right and we boarded quickly. The kids were very well behaved and I was even able to sleep for almost two hours of the 3 hour flight to Atlanta. Once in Atlanta we found that the Delta Lounge was directly across the hall from our gate to West Palm Beach. We had just enough time to take a potty break, get some fruit and juice, then board the next flight. The second flight lasted about an hour and 20 minutes. Once we were at the baggage claim our bags immediately began comming out. That is, all but our golf bags. Sure enough they had been delayed in Atlanta and we were told that they would be delivered to us at Freddie's house later that night. I was a bit worried. |
Tee's Dad, Peter, picked us up and drove us directly to Freddie's house where the kids would be staying while Tee and I were away. The weather was hot and muggy. Pete told us that they were in the middle of a small heatwave and the day's temps had broken a record. Once everyone was settled at Freddie's, Pete and I headed out to the local grocery store and liquor store to get drinks for that nights dinner. At the nearby Publix grocery store I found an interesting beer selection and ended up picking up some beer from The Bahamas called "Kalik," as well as some Long Board Lager from Kona Brewing Company, Hawaii. The dinner Freddie had prepared was fantastic. It included grilled, thick-cut pork chops artichoke salad, corn on the cob, and the 'pias de resistonce', rhubarb pie a la mode. Tee had actually requested that her Mom make that particular desert because she knows its my favorite. I'm not a desert guy at all, but I have a major weakness for rhubarb pie a la mode. It was fabulous. We were joined by Pete and Freddie's longtime friend from Montreal, Dave. Dave is often a guest at Freddie's dinners when we're in town, and he's a real fun guy to have around. He loaned me a yet to be published book his son Matt had written called "Full Moon Lotus," a novel based on Matt's travels throughout Asia. I would end up getting through about half of it on this trip. It was a very pleasant evening and a great way to start off the trip. Only two things wrong: One, we hadn't yet received our clubs by bedtime. And two, Tee and I would be sleeping on a rather uncomfortable pull-out sofa. The Delta baggage folks told me that the bags would be delivered sometime over the next four hours as I went off to bed. I did indeed suffer from being uncomfortable on the pull-out, and tossed and turned for quite a while. Sure enough, just 10 or 15 minutes after having finally having fallen off to sleep, the doorbell rang and woke me. It was our golf clubs being delivered. I remained uncomfortable for much of the night, but at least I felt good about being in possession of our clubs. |
The next day was a relaxing one spent mostly just hanging out at Freddie's. In the morning we spent a couple of hours at the swimming pool. Then in the afternoon I took a much needed nap as the others went shopping. I then watched the Utah Jazz play the Lakers in game 4 of their playoff series as Tee made dinner. The Jazz won in a tight game to tie the series at 2-2. Tee made shrimp lemon scampi and it turned out perfect. I could have eaten twice as much as I did, but it was gone before I knew it. After dinner Tee and I left with Peter to spend the night at his house as he would be taking us to the Fort Lauderdale airport early the next morning. I found it somewhat tough saying 'goodbye' to the kids knowing I wouldn't see them for several days. Once at Peter's house we all hung out and had a beer sitting in his open garage, which is a very comfortable makeshift lounge room. It's always fun and relaxing time when we're at Pete's house. |
We were all up by 5:30 the next morning in order to make it to the airport for our flight to the Bahamas. The drive down to Fort Lauderdale and the check-in for the flight went well, and we were able to spend some getting a bite to eat in the lounge. The flight itself was a lot of fun. We flew in a 30 seat double prop plane which bobbed and bumped around a good deal until we were clear of land. I slept for the first half of the flight and woke to find we were flying over some really spectacular blue water sprinkled here and there by tiny little islands (more sandbars than islands really). We landed at Georgetown and were escorted to what basically amounted to a double-wide trailer which served as the immigration and customs office. We couldn't help but laugh a bit at the immigration/customs procedure which involved being asked to step to one side of the room, then one by one have our passports checked and proceed back to where we were previously standing. After we had made our way through immigration we asked where the bathrooms were and were then directed to the only bathroom in the place, on the OTHER side of immigration! We ended up just walking freely back and forth from one side of the immigration officers to the other. We definitely weren't in the U.S. anymore! Once outside we were met by a group of tour coordinators who helped load our bags onto a van which then took us on the 20 minute ride to the hotel/resort. We caught our first glimpses of the island and I was struck by just how odd things appeared. While both the houses and other building of the island were quite modern in design, they almost all looked to be either incomplete in their construction or simply poorly maintained. I was also struck with the sense that the homes and businesses seemed very scattered and quite removed from one another, as opposed to being in groupings that could be called 'neighborhoods.' Eventually a golf course came into view and we turned into the main driveway up to the resort entrance. I had only one foot out of the van the resort hosts and bellmen had already begun addressing me by name. Our bags were swiftly dealt with as we were given some fresh Guava juice and escorted through a small but immaculate port cochere and to the front desk. Tee inquired about a possible upgrade (standard procedure) as I gazed at the extremely high, white ceilings of the interior lobby. We were told that an upgrade to a private bungalow would be an additional $1500. We feigned a brief discussion about it all the time knowing full well that we would definitely NOT be taking the upgrade. At the front desk we were asked to fill out a mini-bar menu as they would fill it according to what we requested. I ordered four Kalik beers and a couple of cans of Guava juice. As we exited out from the main building to walk to our building and our room we immediately ran into one of Tee's closet friends and colleagues, Karen Mirable. I hadn't seen Karen since we were in Memphis a couple of years ago. I really like Karen and it was really great to see her again. Just knowing she would be there with us that week was a hint that we were going to have a great time here. |
Our room was a bright comfortable one on the second floor with a balcony that overlooked the "Quiet Pool" from a short distance and allowed glimpses of the ocean. The ocean here was the most spectacular color of blue. A rich and dazzling hue of turquoise that I had only seen before in areas of southern Thailand. I just happened to open the mini-bar as we entered the room and found it had already been stalked with my order of beer and Guava juice! The service here had already impressed me several times and we had only been at the property a mere 15 minutes or so! |
We didn't take much time to change into our swim gear (cosies) and head out to the main "Active Pool." Karen and Nick were there next to a very comfortable extra set of chairs, so we readily took them. The poolside attendant immediately prepped our lounge chairs and took our drink orders. I ordered a Mojito. She also left us with a lunch menu. The drinks came and I got talking with Karen and Nick. The whole scene was wonderfully relaxing and indulgent. I took a quick swim in the pool, then ate half of my duck confit and shitake pizza. It wasn't nearly as good as the Margarita pizza Karen and Nick shared with us. The Mojito was exactly as I imagine they should be everywhere but rarely are. |
We eventually went back to the room to shower and dress before the Welcome Dinner. The cocktail party and dinner was held in one of the large lawn areas fronting the beach. We ran into Karen and Nick again just before it started and ended up having a beer on their balcony (lanai) overlooking the party itself. We all went down together and started mingling with the various WK people. I met Tee's newest CEO for the first time and was surprised at how young she is. I met Kevin, a very talented tech guy from Brooklyn who has been with the company even longer than Tee! I also met a German guy from the new Australia office (now on George Street), David. Earlier on in the evening I was introduced to a great guy named Curt and his wife Rachelle. He is originally from Utah and is now living near Dallas. His wife is a truly lovely Mormon gal from So. California, and the three of us had a fun several minutes talking together before dinner. I had been looking for my old friend and drinking buddy, Dutch Mark, but he didn't arrive until later (they had taken an Amsterdam-JFK-Miami-Nassau-Georgetown flight and had just checked-in). There was a band, a fully stocked open bar, and a very large assortment of food severed buffet style. I had the seafood salad, Grouper, jerk steak, and Kalik beer. There were disposable cameras at each table. I figured not many people would take charge of the camera, so I started taking pictures of various people at the party. Nick and I approached the bar after dinner and ordered Petron shots. We instead were served half a Bourbon glass full of Petron Silver. Don't know about Nick, but mine went down quick and I was in bed at 10:30. Life is good. |
Life didn't get any worse the next day. The day started with an "Awards Breakfast" in one of the social halls. We again sat with Karen and Nick. The awards presentations were really interesting, as they had a fascinating diversity of award winners and achievers. I can't even say just how proud I was of Tee when her CEO, Karen, presented her award as Corporate Director Of The Year. This is what she had won at the beginning of the year and had allowed us to have this vacation, but it was especially moving to hear her list of achievements read aloud to the whole group. Karen even mentioned how Tee had found time to teach Henry how to ride a bike. It brought a little tear to my eye. So proud! We had just the right amount of time to leisurely get back from the breakfast, change into our golf gear and head out for our tee time at 11:00. We walked our clubs over and were again treated to prompt professional attention at check-in. We were immediately show to our cart which had our names displayed on it's visor, and was also stocked with a wet towel, a couple sleeves of balls, and a players guide for each of us, and a cooler full of bottled water. We were paired with one of the Division CEOs, Mark and his wife Deb. The course is a beautiful, seaside, Greg Norman designed gem that is challenging yet playable. Wish I could say I played it well, but I didn't. Mark played even worse. Tee hung in there to have a solid round in the end. After the round we paid a visit to the golf shop, and when I say "paid" a visit that's exactly what it was. We didn't go too crazy but we each bought ourselves some great golf shirts with the resort logo on them, and I also bought a golf towel that looks like the flag of the Bahamas. But even just that came to an amount I was hesitant to pay! |
That night's dinner was held at one of the resort restaurants, with each of the company's divisions grouped together and given separate dining times. I found myself seated next to Jens, a German guy from Berlin and a good friend of Tee's. Also at our end of the table was Jens' wife, a gorgeous 20-something blond sales rep from Poland and her boyfriend. It turned out to be a fun group to dine and chat with, despite the fact that the Polish guy spoke no English. I quickly came to really like these people. The food was good, but I must admit I was expecting better. We all shared the appetizers of Thai beef salad and potstickers, while Tee and I both selected Nasi Goreng as our main. It was mediocre. The highlight was the lemongrass panacotta desert. The service was slow and awkward. I was feeling really tired throughout and was happy to head off to bed shortly after dinner was complete. The next morning I woke up around 10:00. Tee went off to work out at the gym, while I dressed in my swim gear and headed for the beach. I occupied an umbrella chair and sat reading "Full Moon Lotus" and taking the occasional break to swim about in the amazingly clear ocean water. After an hour or so Tee came out and joined me. We read, talked, napped, and swam over the course of another hour or so then headed to some chairs at the poolside in order to take some lunch. Tee again had the crab and mango salad and I had the burger with fries. We also each had a coconut Mohito (Mohito w/Malibu Rum). Just as we finished our lunch I noticed my friend Mark sitting in a cabana just behind us, so I went over and had a nice visit with him. We talked quite a bit about China, and the fact that he thought that Tee was a prime candidate to eventually take a position there now that the company was getting serious about it's plans there. It was great to catch up with him and pick his brain a bit. |
After a while we set off to the spa for our 80 minute Balinese massage. The spa here is wonderful! Tee and I were shown to our locker areas and I proceeded to change into my large robe. The facilities were top-notch, and I took note of the fact that there was a nice steam room in the men's locker area. Once we were both ready we were taken to a large room that could accommodate both of us. My masseuse was indeed from Bali! I knew we had scheduled a "Balinese Massage," but I hadn't expected the masseuse to actually be from Bali! Tee's masseuse was a young, local guy. The massage was fantastic, and as Tee and I compared post-treatment notes I realized I had received the better massage. We spent about 30 minutes sitting in a luxurious relaxation room after our treatment. We ate an apple, drank some water and sat talking in a couple of very comfortable seats near the balcony. We then went off to our separate locker rooms agreeing to meet back at the room. I took a long and leisurely time in the locker area. First I took a shower and then I went and sat for a good, long time in the large, clean, sunny, and beautifully sparse steam room. The place was generously stocked with high quality hair and body products, so I spent another several minutes sampling the wares. I didn't see another patron the entire time. Tee had gone to relax and nap at the "Quiet Pool." I went to the room, cracked a Kalik, sat on the balcony, and watched the curious half British half American ESPN channel. Tee eventually came back to the room and we began to get ourselves ready for that nights "CEO Dinner" function. |
The dinner that night was held in the same large function room in which we had the awards breakfast. Dinner was proceeded by a great little cocktail party on the adjacent patio overlooking the golf course and the front entrance. Outside of the food itself there wasn't much to this event. The food was served buffet style. It was again good, but not great. I had a green salad with mango dressing, crab cakes, short ribs, and a terrific portion of Cream Brule. Nick and Karen had been talking about their times at the casino on previous nights so we decided that we would go over to the casino after dinner. The casino is in a semi-detached portion of the resorts' central building, and isn't much more than a one smallish room containing all the gaming and a connected bar/lounge area. I saw that they had the Craps table up and running that night so I headed there right away. My luck there was no good however and I ended up losing a good chunk within the first 10 minutes. I usually tend to do quite well at Craps but not tonight. Tee and I walked around to the different tables and found the Black Jack tables crowded. We continued to watch the action at the Craps table (don't think I ever saw the point hit!) until I noticed a Black Jack seat opening up. Tee wanted to keep watching Craps and talking with Karen, so I went off by myself to play Black Jack. The seat that I snagged at the Black Jack table just so happened to be right next to Jeff, the parent company's CEO. I knew who he was right away. Tee has played poker with him a couple of times in the past. I was a little intimidated having to sit next to the biggest of the "big wigs" there at our function. I just kept quiet for a long while and smiled politely. Eventually we slipped into a nice banter and I was readily taking his advice on some subtleties of the game. Turned out that I went on a long roll of steady success at the Black Jack table over a couple hours time and made make all of the money I had initially lost at the Craps table. Jeff and I started talking poker at one point and he invited Tee and I to come to a private poker game he was putting together the next night. I was excited to know that I would be getting the chance to play poker and that he would personally invite us. During the time I was at the Black Jack table I was half watching the Jazz at the Lakers in Game 5 of their playoff series. Neither team had yet to win on the other's court in the series at the Jazz in this game seriously threatened down to the wire. I was watching the last couple of tense minutes of the game with some British folks in the casino bar. I was really disappointed when the Jazz ended up losing after all. When the game finally ended it was 1:30 in the morning. Tee had been in bed and asleep for a couple of hours by then. |
Tee and I had a tee time at 10:00 the next morning. It was another gorgeous day, with temperatures hovering around 76. We arrived in time to do some putting and hit several balls on the practice range. We were eventually paired with two guys from WK, neither of whom Tee knew. After 2 or 3 holes we were being driven crazy by the unbelievably slow and obnoxious play of one of the other guys, so we made an excuse to play on ahead of them. It was the best thing we could have done! Within a couple of holes they were completely out of sight and we were really enjoying ourselves. We eventually caught up to another couple who we joined for the back nine. They were a fun couple from Delray who was traveling on their boat which was docked at the harbour next to the course. I played far better on the back side and Tee played quite well throughout. |
Following the round I headed to the beach and Tee chose to spend some more time at her new favorite spot at the Quiet Pool. The beach was far more crowded than I had seen it on other occasions. I initially had a tough time finding an umbrella chair but eventually settled in comfortably near the walkway. I spent a good couple of hours reading, napping, swimming, and sipping on a couple of beautiful Pina Colada. I then went and joined Tee at the Quiet Pool for a relaxing chat. It was then time to make our way back to the room and get ready for that night's function, the lobster bake and beach party. |
We arrived at the party to find the cocktail hour in full swing. A large section of the beach had been set up for the party with a designated bar area at the entrance and the dinning area toward the water. I drank Cuba Libre and made the social rounds, visiting with Curt and Rachelle, Karen and David, Kevin and JoAnn, Jens and his crew, as well as Karen and Nick. We eventually were invited to make our way to the dinner area. I was lucky to end up sitting next to my friend Mark and his girlfriend Lisette. The dinner was served buffet style and was a truly amazing spread. I went for a bowl of Cajun style chowder that no one else seemed to be going for. I blew my socks off! I had to go back for another! There was also a grill stacked high with Spiny Lobster tails. I took two initially, but then went back for two more when everyone else was having desert. Yum! There was a live band playing on an elevated stage and some people began dancing as dinner was coming to a close. Mark, Lisette, and I continued having a fun time talking, laughing, and drinking together at our table. Eventually Jeff came by and told me the poker game was going to get started in 30 minutes or so and told us to invite anyone else we knew played poker. I mentioned it to a couple of people, but no one was particularly interested. By the time Tee and I left the beach to go and play poker the band had half the place participating in a limbo contest. It looked like a lot of fun! It appeared that the contest was coming down to Jackie and a lovely girl from India when we finally left. |
We quickly found the poker game, which had been set up in a small function room between the fine dinning restaurant and the front entrance. There were maybe eight to ten people there already. Two tables were set and ready to go. There was also an open bar being run by a stoic local guy named Kane. I asked him later if they called him "Big Daddy." He gave me a knowing smile and said "yes." I drank and rum and Coke. Within a couple of minutes 5 or 6 more people came in. We started quickly after having agreed to play a $100 buy in and designating payouts for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. We also adopted a rule that no spouses or partners (one guy had brought his brother and another guy brought his sister) could sit at the same table to begin. I played well to begin. I won a couple of solid pots early on and began to remind myself to be extra patient because of my chip stack. I only wanted to play really solid hands (sets, straights, flushes), and fold readily with less. Thing is, I was dealt AA on a hand quickly thereafter. Sure enough, a guy behind me goes "all in." He had a huge chip stack and I immediately called him thinking I couldn't be any luckier. The guy, (Adam?), ends up having KK and I was already feeling like I was going to end up winning the whole tournament. Instead, Adam draws out an nearly impossible flush on the river with Diamonds. The whole table reacted and I felt like I had just been kneed in the groin. I stood up dramatically when I lost and accidentally knocked over my chair. I was sick as I went from having a huge stack to being out pretty early on. I had to go walk it off. But before I went out for some air, I went over to Tee and told her to only play great hands and "only go all in if you can't lose." She had won a couple of pots herself and had a nice chip stack. I went outside, walked around to the Men's Room, then through the main lobby. I went back to the poker room but sat outside in the warm wind for a while before going back in. Just after re-entering the room I saw that Tee was making an "all in" move. The board was a "rainbow" J, 7, 4. The other player (female) called. Tee turned over AK. The other girl had Jacks. The AK didn't hold up through the river and Tee was out. I was quite shocked as Tee went in with only Ace high not too long after I had told her NOT to do anything like that! I was bummed for the both of us. Tee and I had a nice chat in the "Losers Lounge" (aka outside) with Jeff's wife. She was a fun and friendly person. I learned that they have kids exactly our kids age. Tee eventually went off to bed. I stayed around to see the tournament to the end. Wouldn't you know it? The guy who took me down with KK ends up winning it. There was a really fun vibe at the end and I made sure to snap a photo or two just as it ended. |
We had to get up early the next morning in order to get a quick breakfast and catch the shuttle to the airport. Personally I needed about 4 hours more sleep, but what was I going to do? I just hoped I could sleep a bit on the plane. At breakfast we ran into Jeff and had the chance once again to thank him for his part in putting the week together. We also ran into Karen and David and said "farewell" to them as well. The shuttle to the airport delivered us well before our flight. After checking in we found ourselves with almost two hours to burn, but with nothing to do. The airport was one main building that had only the most basic facilities; one bathroom, a gift shop about the size of a station wagon, and an uncomfortable waiting area. While most people went straight to the waiting area after checking in, we went back outside and walked around. At one point we were in the small parking lot adjacent to the runway. From there we could see Jeff preparing his private plane for takeoff. Jeff had flown his own plane down from Pennsylvania, and was now returning home. We walked along a set of storefronts, but like most everything else on the island, they were closed. The island had a feeling of being on permanent holiday, with shops and restaurants closed throughout the day. Strange. There was one business open directly across from the airports main building. It was a restaurant/bar called "Kermit's." It was a large place, but empty. Only a group of three or four locals occupied the place. Tee and I sat at one of the outside table/benches at the entrance. Hardly anyone came by. I laid down on the bench there and tried to get a little sleep, but after a 10 minutes or so I became to uncomfortable. Finally it was time to board the flight. The flight itself was routine. I again tried to sleep, but only actually slept maybe 15 minutes. After going through another slap-dash customs/immigration procedure in Ft. Lauderdale we exited the terminal just as Peter was approaching the curbside in his van. He had both kids with him and it was a thrill to see them again! |
I sat in front as we drove back to Delray. We stopped by Pete's house briefly then went to Freddie's. I was hungry, but it was decided to get something at the golf course before our round. George, Freddie's "boyfriend?" and next door neighbor had arranged for he, Pete, Tee, and I to play a round of golf that day. This was the first time I had met George and he seemed a good guy. I was really tired and hungry, but looking forward to the round. Henry ended up convincing us that he should come too, just to ride in the cart. We drove to The Links at Boyton Beach, a nice public course not far from Freddie's. As we are checking in a guy who works there the guy told us that Henry couldn't just ride and watch, not because of his age but because they have a rule that everyone out on the course must be a "player" and have clubs. No just paying a riders fee. We then said "Ok. We'll just rent him some clubs but he won't necessarily play." They then proceed to tell us that if we did that then we would become a 5-some and couldn't play together! I got pissed off because Henry was starting to cry, thinking that he couldn't play and had caused a problem for us. I told the guys checking us in that their nit-picking rules sucked! We had agreed to keep pace, pay the full green fee for Henry, rent their clubs,...and the still were giving us a hard time! George is even a regular at this place! I was steaming! And the fact that I was starving didn't help my mood either. Eventually we came to an agreement that we would play the 9-hole "Family Course." Henry would pay the full green fee and rent clubs. We were then told to pretend as if we are playing in separate groups until we are out of sight of the clubhouse. What? How asinine is that? We paid our fees and I stormed into the cafe area to get a hot dog and drink. I paid for everyone to eat, and at the same time started to feel bad about loosing my temper a bit in front of George. We got out on the course and Henry and I waited behind the others as if we were just a 2-some. I hit my best shot of the day off the 1st tee, yet no one was watching because they were playing ahead. Henry teed it up for the first time ever on a real golf course. He took a while getting ready, but then he hit a nice little shot. Henry picked up after that and I went on to par the hole. We then joined up with Tee, George, and Pete on the second hole. I ended up playing quite poorly, Tee played beautifully (2 birdies in 9 holes!), and Henry hit a couple of shots that thrilled all of us! George is a particularly good golfer, and I think I actually learned a couple of things just from observing him play. A little over halfway through our round we noticed from the tee box that something was crossing the fairway at quite a distance. At first I thought it was a small alligator, but then George said he thought it was a lizard. We immediately went up in our carts to check it out. Sure enough it was a HUGE Iguana! Henry thought it was about the coolest thing ever. It stopped and lay down for a minute, so went were able to get a couple of pictures of it. I was able to get right close, and estimated it's total length to be just over 6 feet! |
We gathered back at Freddie's and ordered a pizza from a popular Italian restaurant around the corner, Mama Mia's. Freddie, Tee, and the kids went to the swimming pool. Peter and I hung out in lawn chairs on the driveway until it was time to pick up the pizza. We also went by the liquor store to get some red wine. It was a great little dinner. After eating I was so tired I could hardly stand up. Knowing that the 6th game of the Jazz/Lakers series was on later that night I knew I needed to take a nap despite it being almost 8:00. I slept for an hour and it made all the difference in the world. I even felt more optimistic about the Jazz chances that night. After Tee and Freddie had gone of to bed around 10:00, I found myself watching the end of the Celtics/Cavaliers game and drinking red wine with George. It gave us a good opportunity to chat just between the two of us. It was readily apparent that George wasn't just a casual sports fan. We talked sports straight for about an hour. He's originally from Pittsburgh and lived in New York for many years, so he is a big fan and follower of both the Penguins and the Steelers, but is also a big Yankees fan. George went home just as the broadcast switched to the Jazz game. Despite my nap I felt tired. I almost dozed off a couple of times during the game but I HAD to see the end. Turns out it would have been just as well to have gone to bed and skipped the game altogether as the Jazz were put out of the playoffs that night. I turned off the T.V. at 1:45am. I had another uncomfortable sleep alone on the pull-out. Luckily I was able to sleep in. Tee and Freddie took the kids for one last swim in the pool while I packed all of our bags. There was just enough time after that to toss the wet things in the dryer and eat a small lunch before Peter came by to pick us up. We loaded up all of our things in his van and drove to the West Palm Beach Airport. I think Pete was sad to see us go, and so was I. |
We stopped in Atlanta to "norikae," and ate pizza in the food court. There were several soldiers around and Henry had a lot of questions about where they were fighting, who they were fighting, and if any of them would die. He really takes it all in and seems to have a very healthy attitude about it all. Henry also really impressed me with one of the most memorable images of this trip when he sat for the entire flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake in a seat across the isle from me and next to a very attractive 20-something blond, behaving throughout like a well traveled young gentleman. I had already been well impressed with his behavior and demeanor, but then, at the end of the flight came the kicker. As we were approaching the airport Henry casually begins to ask the blond (who he has yet to speak to directly), where she's from and where she's been traveling. He continues to chat with this girl for several minutes as we land as if he is her same age! He had no idea I had been eavesdropping. I had never been so quite so moved and proud of my little boy as I was right then. Congratulations Tee on earning us all this wonderful vacation! Thank you for choosing to include all of us! |