Random LI.

Just some shots of us hanging around, then our last night was dinner at Claudio's. It was our six year wedding anniversary, and while it was not a truly romantic dinner, it was pretty great. Our little family was together and we were in Greenport and on the water. There is little that I like more than that.

Greenport.

I finally got to Crabby Jerry's on Friday. I think I could sit there all day every day and never be sick of it or want to leave. That idea has never been tested though, so if anyone has some extra 'Grant' money from the government or some Foundation I'd be happy to run some tests. Note that Crabby's is only open Memorial Day through Labor Day so please include that in the proposal. The school bus is a new toy for the little man. He stuffed it with French Fries.

Same Evening; Boating.

Laughing Water.

Long Island, 2008.

I went boating pretty much every day. These are some photos of one evening, but they are not great.

The Aquarium in Riverhead.

The Aquarium in Riverhead is one of the best in the country according to the Travel Channel, and Riverhead is also the county seat. That means that Lizzy Grubman and pretty much anyone else who gets in trouble in the Hamptons has to slum it over to Riverhead to get processed and do their time. We just think of it as the end of the LIE and the start of Even Worse Traffic.

Later That Day.

I think this is still Wednesday evening. For a long time I would have loved a t-shirt that said "I'm with Silly", but I never found one. That would have been fun for me though, as a guy who never wears t-shirts with any stupid "catch phrases" on them. That is one I would have worn proudly.

This was Wednesday, late afternoon. We went into Southold in the morning, stopped at the library so I could do my computer stuff and Jodi could shop, then we stopped at Pagano's for a slice and a quick pop. The afternoon was spent cleaning up the LETS GO, which is our little Zodiak (a 10' fiberglass hull inflatable boat, 15 HP motor, and a really crazy story of its own) and getting it into the water.

Long Island, Part I.

Well, we drove this year. Yet Again, I suppose I should say. We drive these days, instead of flying, because they both have nightmare-ish qualities to them.

Flying: Sure, I could pack about fifteen bags (how much per bag these days?), get up together really early and feed the little man and get him in the car with the other stuff and get out of the house, drive to Detroit, find the long distance parking ramp (it's only $10 a day now), unpack there, then go through security with all this gear, the wife and the toddler. Then we board the airline (if it's there, if it's on time, if it has a crew, etc.) Then we fly to La Guardia... and at La Guardia, well folks, then the fun starts.

I suppose de-planing is first, and is not too bad. Then you get to baggage. At baggage you Hope For The Best and that you actually get your bags. Next, you make your way outside to the buses. They will take you, for a Nominal Fee (it's never nominal), to Jamaica Sation, which is in Queens. It's a short 20-35 minutes. From there you haul your bags, your wife, and your toddler son up several flights of steps onto the, what... well, whatever that concrete is while you wait for the trains; I guess usually it's just called the 'platform'. And you better get on the right train, no offense. Anyway, with all luck you end up in Ronkonkoma (halfway out on LI), and that would be a gift if it happens with no mistakes or meltdowns (from the wife or the child). From there you have to hope for an uncle (ideally he has taken his medication) that is A) there and B) in decent shape to drive you the... one more hour to Southold. But hey, once you're there, no worries.

So that's flying. Although I should mention that with a bit extra money that whole process is simplified by getting a rental car in Queens (LGA airport). That represents a different set of problems though, like per diem, fuel, etc.

Driving: Well, you drive. You pack up the Jeep, and now I have a Thule rooftop carrier which holds a ton really. So with the Jeep packed we left at about 5:30 AM on Tuesday, the idea being to drive straight though. I've done it door to door (Southold house I mean) in about 12 hours, and even going slowly the city (NYC) is 12 hours from our house, but I knew with Jodi pregnant and an almost-two year old, we'd be taking our time.

The route is I-96E to MI-23S, then I-80E which goes a long, long way. It's really the whole trip. At this point I know all the mile markers in PA even (it's 310 miles total, so it's truly a four to five hour state). We passed our usual good stop in Clearfield (exit 120) mid-morning, and I was already tired enough to let Jodi drive. I drove again later, passed through that little phase where you sort of 'hit the wall' (any runners out there? not that I am one...), had some food and drink, then realized we were basically coming up on NJ. That's what gets you on the way there; knowing that Jersey is a one hour state, then you get the city stuff, then the bridges, then the LIE, then the "Main Road" (Route 25), then you're there.

So it's nothing, really. The rest will be photos with little commentary. Unless of course I feel commentary is required. Oh, and we pulled into Southold (after some pizza at Lennie's in Jamesport), at around 8:15. Not bad, but a long day for sure.

Same Day, Back Up Top.

We climbed up all 32 steps eventually, taking our gear (it's not as easy as it sounds) with us, then we had a really nice evening together at the new house. Connor picked out for harassment at least some of the age-appropriate girls that he plans to "go with" when he gets older, although he admitted to me he has not said anything to them just yet. Mostly his version of flirting is to follow them around all the time, then hit them in the back when they weren't looking. I'll talk to him; no need to call CPS or anything. It was a really nice day with great friends.

A Day At The Beach, Part Whatever.

My faithful readers know that I've done lots of "days at the beach", but this one was the most special because my mom (the actual homeowner, for those of you in Rio Linda) was there to spend the day with my friends, their kids, us, and of course the little man Connor, her only grandson. We had a pretty good beach day, but I suppose not perfect, although I think this summer I got a little spoiled with really nice MI weather, even on the weekends. At any rate, here are the first of some of the photos from our day out.

Uncle Mark and Junior

Just a couple quick shots. MB likes to make the blog too, and he's been a huge help lately as a babysitter when times are tight. If only he could learn to change a diaper, or feed the little man dinner, or... oh wait, he's a huge help!!

The New Little One.

This is the first vision of what we're hopefully confident will be our newest addition. Girl? Boy? We know for sure that there are 10 fingers, 10 toes, a great heart beat, perfectly formed arms, legs, neck, head, mouth, etc. And while we're pretty sure we know if it's a boy or a girl we'll leave you bloggers out of it for now--even now we're not 100%, so there's that.

The Jacket, Part II.

I couldn't resist a couple more shots of Connor in his new jacket. Thanks again to Uncle Mark. I realize most of you only visit for shots of the boy, so this should be right up your alley!

My Summer Car.

I finally got around to washing and detailing my summer car... it's a 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Convertible. I love this car, and realized it's never made an appearance on the blog.

As a side note, we just got our 'normal' camera back from Casio today, and it's fixed. So photos will be back to normal, although I make no promises about the frequency of updates. Check back at your own risk, but always be prepared for disappointment!

Connor's New Jacket.

We spent the following weekend at the lake as well, but I'll spare you, my loyal audience, any more photos of Us Sitting On The Beach. They start to look the same, I find. But my brother got his nephew Connor a really cool leather bomber jacket, including patches of all the places Connor has been and the Naval Aviator Squadrons of which he has been a part. It's a really cool jacket, and big enough that it should fit perfectly this winter!