Archives for 2011

Last week, a new client had contacted us about coming to Jacksonville, FL to work with him, and we finally settled on this week, flying Tuesday, working Wed/Thurs, flying back Friday. It meant missing spending more time with the family, but we can’t turn work down, and we had sort of planned on leaving here midweek anyway, so it didn’t really matter. They’ve been taking great care of the horses and dogs while we’ve been here, so we figured it was best to just fly out of Rochester again. Spend the day finalizing the travel plans and getting ready to leave. We also discovered that despite our putting dogs on flea and heartworm treatment, the fleas had run rampant again, so we had to again wash the dogs and vacuum the carpet. Everything’s so damp, we’ve had a lot of rain lately, and we’re listing slightly to one side, so there’s a bit of water sneaking in around the slide-outs in the RV, which is making everything seem damper than usual. Anyway, we finally got done around 7:00, mostly packed and ready to go except the last minute things. My oldest brother is flying out tomorrow too, so we’ve arranged to have him come down to the farm at 8:00 in the morning, and ride with us the rest of the way, which will save my youngest brother from having to drive an extra 40 minutes each way. Finally got to bed around 11:00, after watching an old Randolph Scott western, which is always a good thing!

All the best laid plans… We had intended to take the horses out to the beach today, having scouted it out yesterday on our way out to the cottage, but once again we were thwarted. During breakfast, I received a call from the vet saying one of the blood tests on the dogs had come back positive for the presence of Lyme disease activity. Apparently that doesn’t necessary mean it’s still present, just that it had been in the past, and the only thing to be done is to either have an expensive test done, or run a course of antibiotics as a prophylactic. Either way it meant a trip to the vet, 35 minutes away. So I packed up Marina, whom they told me was the one with the problem, left Hubby to transfer hay from the horse trailer to the pickup (a necessary chore that had been planned for the day, as we needed to clear out the hay in order to use the trailer), and headed out to the vet’s. Once I arrived, the lab tech took Marina away to draw blood. Several minutes later, the doctor came out, and informed me that the file had been mislabeled, and it wasn’t Marina that needed the test, it was Billy! Great! I had to pack up Marina, drive all the way back to the farm, pick up Billy (though I brought Marina along again, just in case), and drive all the way back into town again, a full hour out and back. So Billy got his test, but by the time I got back it was 4:00, and way too late to consider riding anywhere. Hubby had managed to transfer all the hay from the horse trailer to the pickup, so at least that job got done. We decided we needed to have a night off anyway, we haven’t had a day off in a while, and weren’t likely to get one for a while either.

Slept later than we expected, then did some chores to do in the morning before finally heading out to the cottage. Stopped to pick up a few things along the way, then spent some more time socializing. Enjoyed the clam dinner with new potatoes and sweet corn before lounging around the campfire. A neighbor shot off a few fireworks just for fun. Then it was decided that some of the family wanted to go to a local bar and listen to some music, and I got picked to be the designated driver. After promises that we’d only be there for an hour, we headed out to a club a few miles down the road. Not a bad place, with a restaurant, bar, deck, pool and hot tub right on the water, and the band wasn’t bad, but when I suggested to Hubby to appease himself with a coffee and brandy, we discovered they didn’t have coffee or brandy! We listened for awhile before heading back, arriving back after midnight. By then most everyone else had gone to bed our home, and Hubby and I headed back to the ranch.

It was decided that we would pick up my oldest brother at the airport today, and pick up the clams for the clambake planned for the weekend. He arrived at about noon, we headed to the famous Palmer’s for two bags of clams, then north to drop him off at House of Guitars so that he could look through their vinyl records, looking to add to his collection. Meanwhile, we went to an Ear, Nose & Throat doctor for Hubby. He’s been almost deaf in one ear since our flight to Atlanta last week, because we ended up getting relegated to the back of the plane behind the engines and next to the galley. Turns out that after his examination, the doctor concluded it wasn’t due to fluid on his ears, which was the first conclusion, but that in fact it was due to dehydration and weight loss! Apparently there are fat pads that help keep his Eustachian tubes closed, and because of his recent weight loss, they aren’t fully doing the job. The doctor said he just needed to give it some time to settle in, and to keep drinking fluids. Seems like a strange thing, but it makes sense, and we’ll give it a go! Afterward we picked up big brother and headed out to the cottage another brother has rented on Sodus Bay, stopping at Orbachers for ice cream along the way, as well as stops for groceries, and, of course, beer for the boys. Hung out with the family and their friends for a few hours before coming back home. Clambake tomorrow, expect it to be a long night!

After getting some paperwork done in the morning, we took the pups to the vet today, to get them tested for heartworm so that we can put them on a medication regime now that the mosquitos are out. Also wanted to get something to get rid of the fleas we’ve been fighting for so long. Finally decided on a once a month pill that is supposed to do both. Stopped at a nearby Friendly’s for our lunch of ice cream before heading back.

After sleeping till the ungodly hour of 11:15, I spent most of the day on the computer trying to solve a bunch of problems, then finished off the day trying to get rid of fles which have managed in five short days, to completely reinfest the dogs. Bath for Billy, vacuum for Marina and the carpet, spray for both dogs, and an appointment with the vet tomorrow to get flea pills, as I’ve had enough of this struggle. These Florida fleas just seem to be unstoppable! Relaxed for the evening, though there’s a lot of work still staring me in the face!

Car arrived right on time (ten minutes early), and we headed straight out to the airport in light traffic. Had breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Co. in the Atrium, then headed down to our gate for our final (forever!) Delta flight. Not surprisingly, we encountered yet another challenge on the plane. As we were seated, we started to buckle up, and discovered that there was some kind of black, sticky stuff all over the blade of the seat belt insert. Hubby noticed it first on his, though at first he thought is was grease of some kind, then I found the same thing on mine. Perfect! I was wearing a white dress! We pointed it out to the flight attendant, who handed me a couple of wetnaps so that I could clean them up before putting them on. Turns out it was gum, that had obviously been there quite a long time to get that dirty. Yuck! Doesn’t matter what Delta does, our relationship is cursed, and we’re never flying Delta again! In fact, when we were walking through the Atlanta airport, some young man tried to flag me down to apply for a Delta credit card, and I pointedly said, “After this, I’m never flying Delta again!” Even if it’s the only non-stop flight, I’ve had it with them! Anyway, we arrived safely, which is the most important thing, drove home with one stop for groceries, glad to be back to the critters! Going to bed fairly early, as these travel days always wear us out!

Since our classes don’t start until noon, we had breakfast in the hotel (another disappointing meal, but the Corner Bakery across the street was closed on Sunday) before doing or two two-hour workshops back to back. Afterward we went to dinner at a seafood restaurant across the street, Rays in the City. That was much better food, again with Hubby and I sharing a salad and each having a small bowl of soup, both of which were delicious. Glad to finally have a good meal! Wound down from the day before getting a good night sleep. The car service will be here at 9:00, we’re planning on breakfast at the airport.

Slept fairly late as we always do after a Traning Camp, packed up most of our stuff, then took a walk to find a place for breakfast. A cafe across the street was closed on Saturday, but the clerk in the hotel suggested we go down to Peachtree Center a few blocks up the road. Before we arrived there, we found a place called the Corner Bakery that looked just right, so we headed in there, and did have a very good breakfast at a very reasonable price. If it hadn’t been so hot we would have sat at one of the umbrella-ed tables outside, but this being August and Atlanta, that was just not going to happen. Turns out the Hyatt where we were moving to was just across the street from there. After breakfast we walked over there to see when we could check in, and they went ahead and did it right then. Nice room, but only on the 7th floor. I prefer something higher to get away from the street sounds, but nothing was clean that early. Then we walked back to the W, finished packing, then caught the hotel shuttle to the Hyatt to get settled in. I took one last attempt at changing rooms to a higher floor, and was rewarded with getting the exact room, the exact number, on the 16th floor. Perfect! The rooms seemed so light and airy after the darkness of the W! After we unpacked we wandered around to visit the venue where we would be speaking, introduced ourselves to our host, then relaxed in our room for awhile before walking two blocks in the rain to the nearest Indian restaurant, the Haveli. Reviews on the internet were mixed, mostly on the down side, but it was the only ethnic place within walking distance, so we decided to try it. We were the only ones in the place early on a Saturday night, and the manager did her best to make us feel at home, but the food really was second rate. Everything was a la carte, including rice, so it was pretty pricey as well, but the real disappointment was in the sauces. We ordered an entree to share, and the sauce with thin, runny, an obviously overcooked. Not worth the price, for sure, though the decor was comfortable enough. Okay if you’re desperate for Indian food. Anyway, a short walk back, this time the rain had mostly stopped, and an evening to relax before our big day tomorrow.