MISSED ME BY THAT MUCH

On the road, Newport News, VA
59*, going down to 46

After a week that brought me to Philly, NJ, NY, Boston and Chicago, I arrived home early Saturday morning for a 30 hour pit stop and departed again Sunday.  There was enough time to mow four lawns, take my bride out to breakfast and get a few hours rest.  I'm now in the midst of a Central/East Virginia tour of Richmond, Newport News and Virginia Beach.  It's pretty cold here, with morning lows in the 40's.  Once again I'm glad I brough a jacket with me.  I'm returning home late Wednesday night, which will put me in bed about 1 AM again.  Friday we fly to Arizona for kids graduations.

A funny thing happened when I was in Boston, headed home.  A couple of years ago I met an online friend named Don, through a runner's website.  We have never met in person but have emailed back and forth about running and fitness.  He is a very experienced ultra marathon runner.  We had planned once to meet for the Cleveland marathon but I ended up cancelling.  Anyhow, while I was sitting at the departure gate in Boston, I looked at Facebook on my Blackberry and noticed Don's status read, "Sitting at Boston Beer Works at the Boston Logan Airport."  I saw Boston Beer Works from my gate and I hustled over there, since my plane was boarding in ten minutes.  I approached a couple of guys who looked like Don's picture but none of them were he.  I checked his Facebook profile and saw his phone number so I called it.  Unfortunately he was in Terminal E and I was in Terminal C.  There was no way I could leave my gate so we just laughed it off and planned to meet again some other day.  No, Don's last name isn't Adams but he did "miss me by THAT much!"

The boat steering arm was removed but found to be unserviceable.  I will have to order and entire new part at a cost of over $600.  The mechanic has used 3 labor hours so far and needs another 2 hour to put the new part in.  With my travel schedule, it's up the air if I'm going to be boating by Memorial Day.

I finished my last book and am now reading Staying Alive, the true story of a British couple whose 31' sailboat was struck by a whale between Panama and the Galapogos Islands.  They abandoned ship and remained adrift in their 5' inflatable dinghy for 117 days!  They lived to write this book and sail again.