The weekend started off with a very sedate Friday, actually. After awakening, my Honey presented me with 3 birthday cards (2 from her which she had picked up while in Australia), some chocolate-covered cherries (which she knows I love...), a new top and a new zip-up cardigan that I had wanted for some time. It resembles a lopi-style sweater and looks very sharp. I decided to take a sick day to nurse a bad throat and to recharge my system. My biggest present of all however, was my Honey announcing to me that we would be taking a week off this month, to scout the sandy beaches of Punta Cana, D.R.
After driving my Honey into work, I also took a little road trip to The UPS Store in Ogdensburg, NY to pick up my new Powertrip/Honda riding jacket. Remarkable savings for a quality item that I will enjoy using this year. I checked my e-mail and my Facebook page, both containing well-wishes from many people. The highlight was an e-mail from my girl in Kandahar...
I also had the van washed and waxed, filled the 2 gasoline jerry cans I keep in the shop (1 for the bikes, 1 for the snowblower) and picked up a load of groceries for the coming Saturday's big event. Friday evening after my Honey got off work, we cruised on over to The Delicious Steakhouse on St.Joseph, with my step-daughter and her hubby. After a delicious meal (prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, veggies and a raspberry/mango cheesecake for dessert...), we headed back to the kids' place to watch George Clooney's "Up in the Air".
Saturday was all about final groceries and snacks, cleaning house and squaring away the games room. Mikey was coming over for an afternoon of gaming and fun. He was going a little stir crazy as he waited to hear of an operating date for his pending hip replacement and needed a change of scenery. I was happy to have him over and we flashed up Modern Warfare 2 shortly after he arrived at 1300hrs. We played a few missions from the Spec Ops section of the game. Shortly after the first couple of missions, I headed upstairs to fetch some snacks. Smoked oysters, crackers, sharp cheddar cheese slices and Chris Brothers' pepperoni slices would keep us in fighting form, to repel the hordes of bad guys.
During one particular mission ('Evasion'), we were required to evade enemy patrols (including attack dogs) in the snowy Russian woodlands, using silenced weapons and stealth. Failure on this particular mission normally meant either death by bullets, or more frequently having your throat ripped out by very large, very aggressive German Shepherds. I could see Mike inching forward towards the edge of his seat on several occasions, a clear sign that he was fully immersed in his role in the game. It's a little unnerving at time and sure to get the pulse racing. Then again, this is how you learn patience and stealth... by realizing the dire consequences that accompany NOT having any.
We had a couple of smoke breaks (well, Mikey did at any rate) and round about 1700hrs, we decided to break for supper. On the menu was Chef Paul's "No-Fail Southern Gale Cajun Chili". By all reports, my best batch to date. We each had a bowl full along with some fresh cheese rolls and mozzerella sprinkled on top for good measure. To tie it all together, my better half had made her always popular Bacardi Rum Cake. This dessert is to die for, I swear to God. So we ate and chatted and just had a really nice time of it. The 'play date' ended all too soon, but Mikey still had a fair drive out to Alfred from our place and it was colder outside than the heart of a Belgian whore. So, it was time to jag it in...
Sunday saw us getting out of bed at 0300hrs, to drive my step-daughter and her hubby to the airport. They are currently spending a week on the Mayan Riviera (Cancun) and they had to check in by 0400hrs. We scooped them up at 0330hrs and made the airport with time to spare. Shedding their winter coats in the van, they scooted into the airport to register. I found myself astounded at the hundreds of people who were already there in line, at this ungodly hour of the day. Who knew...? It was like discovering a never-before-seen civilization. We headed directly back home and to bed. I re-emerged at around 0845hrs. Hm-mmm... what to do with the remainder of the day? I had yet to see my Mom over the Holidays, so it was decided we would visit her for a spell, then head on over to Massena, NY.
We arrived in Montreal later than anticipated, but the visit went swimmingly. My Mom looked good for a gal approaching her big 'Eight-Oh' and fussed almost non-stop around us while we were there. My second-youngest brother stopped in with his wife and it was a pleasure to see them both. We left carrying probably four dozen baked items (my family are notorious cookie bakers and cake/loaf makers). I had visions of us hand-feeding the American border guards as we went through Customs. We took the 20 out of Ile Perrot and soon were cruising along the 401, back on the Ontario side. As we approached Cornwall, we spied four very healthy looking does in the woods by the opposite lanes. It was almost dusk when we crossed the bridge at Cornwall. As we pulled up to the border crossing, it was clear that the recent terrorist goings-on had affected their outlook on their job. They were all business and this was no place for anyone to play at being a smart-ass.
We cleared customs in seconds and motored along towards the St.Lawrence Centre. We visited our usual haunts there and I found a deal on a zip-up sweatshirt, a hoodie and a t-shirt at T.J.Max (you should go...). From the Mall, we wound our way to the Ponderosa restaurant for supper. This diner is run-down, dated and pretty funky, true enough. But the food is affordable, tasty and available in large quantities. Besides, it has become somewhat of a ritual when we travel to Massena. Their mac and cheese is like no other... :) Dessert was made up of fruit cocktail, a thick layer of custard pudding, then slices of cling peaches on top. I was ready to bust after that. Time to hit the road again...
We took our time coming back out of Cornwall, as we headed North along the 138. It was very dark and our recent sighting of deer out feeding gave us reason to just toodle along at 80kmh. I switched on the van's cruise control and let our more audacious travel companions speed by us. I like to think I'll have enough time to react if anything leaps out of the brush. I don't give a crap who you think you are, if you're doing 110-120kmh (or faster) along the 138, you won't. Natural selection, folks...
We made it back home by 2200hrs. It had been a truly good weekend and I was ready to call it a night. All in all... best birthday weekend ever... :)
After driving my Honey into work, I also took a little road trip to The UPS Store in Ogdensburg, NY to pick up my new Powertrip/Honda riding jacket. Remarkable savings for a quality item that I will enjoy using this year. I checked my e-mail and my Facebook page, both containing well-wishes from many people. The highlight was an e-mail from my girl in Kandahar...
I also had the van washed and waxed, filled the 2 gasoline jerry cans I keep in the shop (1 for the bikes, 1 for the snowblower) and picked up a load of groceries for the coming Saturday's big event. Friday evening after my Honey got off work, we cruised on over to The Delicious Steakhouse on St.Joseph, with my step-daughter and her hubby. After a delicious meal (prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, veggies and a raspberry/mango cheesecake for dessert...), we headed back to the kids' place to watch George Clooney's "Up in the Air".
Saturday was all about final groceries and snacks, cleaning house and squaring away the games room. Mikey was coming over for an afternoon of gaming and fun. He was going a little stir crazy as he waited to hear of an operating date for his pending hip replacement and needed a change of scenery. I was happy to have him over and we flashed up Modern Warfare 2 shortly after he arrived at 1300hrs. We played a few missions from the Spec Ops section of the game. Shortly after the first couple of missions, I headed upstairs to fetch some snacks. Smoked oysters, crackers, sharp cheddar cheese slices and Chris Brothers' pepperoni slices would keep us in fighting form, to repel the hordes of bad guys.
During one particular mission ('Evasion'), we were required to evade enemy patrols (including attack dogs) in the snowy Russian woodlands, using silenced weapons and stealth. Failure on this particular mission normally meant either death by bullets, or more frequently having your throat ripped out by very large, very aggressive German Shepherds. I could see Mike inching forward towards the edge of his seat on several occasions, a clear sign that he was fully immersed in his role in the game. It's a little unnerving at time and sure to get the pulse racing. Then again, this is how you learn patience and stealth... by realizing the dire consequences that accompany NOT having any.
We had a couple of smoke breaks (well, Mikey did at any rate) and round about 1700hrs, we decided to break for supper. On the menu was Chef Paul's "No-Fail Southern Gale Cajun Chili". By all reports, my best batch to date. We each had a bowl full along with some fresh cheese rolls and mozzerella sprinkled on top for good measure. To tie it all together, my better half had made her always popular Bacardi Rum Cake. This dessert is to die for, I swear to God. So we ate and chatted and just had a really nice time of it. The 'play date' ended all too soon, but Mikey still had a fair drive out to Alfred from our place and it was colder outside than the heart of a Belgian whore. So, it was time to jag it in...
Sunday saw us getting out of bed at 0300hrs, to drive my step-daughter and her hubby to the airport. They are currently spending a week on the Mayan Riviera (Cancun) and they had to check in by 0400hrs. We scooped them up at 0330hrs and made the airport with time to spare. Shedding their winter coats in the van, they scooted into the airport to register. I found myself astounded at the hundreds of people who were already there in line, at this ungodly hour of the day. Who knew...? It was like discovering a never-before-seen civilization. We headed directly back home and to bed. I re-emerged at around 0845hrs. Hm-mmm... what to do with the remainder of the day? I had yet to see my Mom over the Holidays, so it was decided we would visit her for a spell, then head on over to Massena, NY.
We arrived in Montreal later than anticipated, but the visit went swimmingly. My Mom looked good for a gal approaching her big 'Eight-Oh' and fussed almost non-stop around us while we were there. My second-youngest brother stopped in with his wife and it was a pleasure to see them both. We left carrying probably four dozen baked items (my family are notorious cookie bakers and cake/loaf makers). I had visions of us hand-feeding the American border guards as we went through Customs. We took the 20 out of Ile Perrot and soon were cruising along the 401, back on the Ontario side. As we approached Cornwall, we spied four very healthy looking does in the woods by the opposite lanes. It was almost dusk when we crossed the bridge at Cornwall. As we pulled up to the border crossing, it was clear that the recent terrorist goings-on had affected their outlook on their job. They were all business and this was no place for anyone to play at being a smart-ass.
We cleared customs in seconds and motored along towards the St.Lawrence Centre. We visited our usual haunts there and I found a deal on a zip-up sweatshirt, a hoodie and a t-shirt at T.J.Max (you should go...). From the Mall, we wound our way to the Ponderosa restaurant for supper. This diner is run-down, dated and pretty funky, true enough. But the food is affordable, tasty and available in large quantities. Besides, it has become somewhat of a ritual when we travel to Massena. Their mac and cheese is like no other... :) Dessert was made up of fruit cocktail, a thick layer of custard pudding, then slices of cling peaches on top. I was ready to bust after that. Time to hit the road again...
We took our time coming back out of Cornwall, as we headed North along the 138. It was very dark and our recent sighting of deer out feeding gave us reason to just toodle along at 80kmh. I switched on the van's cruise control and let our more audacious travel companions speed by us. I like to think I'll have enough time to react if anything leaps out of the brush. I don't give a crap who you think you are, if you're doing 110-120kmh (or faster) along the 138, you won't. Natural selection, folks...
We made it back home by 2200hrs. It had been a truly good weekend and I was ready to call it a night. All in all... best birthday weekend ever... :)
1 comment:
Ah, a fellow Capricorn. I suspected you were touched by a God-like genius. Happy B-day!
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