So the next day on our trip was Friday, the 8th of September. We had decided to make a trip as a family to West Point, site of the U.S. Army officer training--you know, that sort of thing.
We got up early--well, relatively early since Scarlett was with us (oh its a joke!)--and after a terrific $8.95 Villa Roma breakfast buffett (hilited by the limp bacon & cold toast--mmm, that's good resort eatin!) and headed out towards West Point. We decided to go in 2 cars, with my brother & Angie taking the point car with my mom & dad and Kim & I with the kids going with Rene and her family. Now, I need to stop and mention something here. My mother, God bless her, may be the most wonderful person on the planet Earth. But truthfully, and she will admit this herself---she is the world's WORST backseat driver. I don't just mean in our family....I mean in this particular solar system. So as they're driving in front, Chip mentions the turnoff to the academy....which he corrects a few moments later. We get onto the base, which is truly breathtaking in how beautiful it really is and park the car to go to lunch. My dad had planned for us to have lunch inside the hotel that is located on the base for the really big military brass, and after some debate about who's going to park where, we all are seated around a table with a spectacular view of the Hudson River. My brother and I go outside to take some photos and I asked my brother how mom was on the drive up.
"Well, besides the whole getting directions from everyone in the car....I think if I tapped the brakes everytime Mom was backseat driving I would have had to put the flashers on."
Now mind you, I'm not saying this as a knock on my mom. Far from it. Its part of her personality and truth be told, when I do my impression of her--its the best part of my act.
Lunch is excellent and we all enjoy giving dad a hard time about being a career navy officer in the heart of the army. The only bad part of the day is that I wished we could've stayed longer--really. The view from parts of the base is that unbelieveable.
We did manage to sneak inside Michie Stadium, home of the Black Knights of the Hudson--the Army football team--and get some nice photos before we left.
That night, we had all planned on meeting up in the heart of downtown Jeffersonville, NY--which is so smalltown that on the drive in you can see someone's laundry hanging from the back of a building--and having some dinner. We park across the street and manage to wade through the infestation of gnats to make it to the back of the restaurant, which has been taken over by Bowdren's. God help them. More relatives that I haven't seen in...well, a couple in 24 hours and a few more in like 20 years. Aunt Gerri is there and is definitely Queen Bee. Its a tough weekend for her. I figure she's torn between the happiness of everyone she cares so much about getting together and enjoying each others company and the love of her life, my Uncle Ken, not being there.
So naturally I try and give her a show....and apparently I am matched by my cousin Maureen, who is dubbed a "close # 2" by my wife in the category of "funniest Bowdren".
I'm hurt that there's even a list.
But the best part of the evening was my dad. You'll recall that I mentioned that the evening before that my Aunt Gerri had blurted out the story about the guy who had the vasectomy? Well towards the end of our dinner, somehow the subject came up of how all these people (estimated 125) were going to be there that hadn't seen each other in seemingly forever, and how we were all wondering how we were going to be able to tell who was who in the zoo. So, we are told that my cousin has come up with the bright idea of having nametags for everyone, including a listing of who they're related too.
My tag for instance, would say:
Jeff Bowdren, son of Larry Bowdren and so on and so on.
So all these ideas are going around about how we could abbreviate the nametags, and Dad says something to the effect of....."what about the guy with the vasectomy"......
at which point Aunt Gerri, who's sitting next to him, points to the guy on the other side of her, my cousin Maureen's husband....and smiles.
We all just about fell off our chairs laughing as Dad began apologizing to the poor guy.
My brother told him that if it made him feel any better.....he was a vasectomy survivor also. :)
The best part of the evening wasn't the food....it was the company. It was reconnecting
with the people that are the most important part of your life.....your family.
Vito Corleone....the Godfather of the movies....truly had it right.
"Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." — Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather (1972)
That night....I felt like a real man.
Later,
Jeff
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
9/11/06--The Bowdren Family Reunion
Now, onto happier thoughts and times. Someone much smarter than I am once said that you can pick your friends--but not your relatives. I was going to take a chance and find out how true that was this past weekend, as I journeyed to upstate New York for a Bowdren family reunion. Now, there was one of these shindigs about 12 years ago, but...quite frankly I was still with my 2nd wife at that point, and I can remember her not being too keen on the idea of hanging out with 100 people who were just like me.
I mean, can you really blame her?
Fast forward to this past weekend, and myself, the wife and the two young un's flew up to the first reunion in over a decade. It was quite the experience, I don't mind telling you. I'll try and keep it short---but you know me....I like to go into detail.
The four of us were flying JetBlue, and I have to tell you....it was one of the nicest flights I've had in a long time. Every one of the seats on the plane has a t.v. screen in front of it with Directv....so instead of flying and being bored out of your mind, you have 35 channels to choose from to watch. What can be better than that? So we arrive in the beautiful haven of Newark, NJ (which caused me to wonder why NJ was ever termed the "Garden State" I gotta tell ya) and after a slight disagreement of which rental car we would take (the kids and I wanted the new Mustang--the wife wanted the Infiniti---I let her win) we were on the one road that leads to everywhere in Jersey.
The Jersey Turnpike.
And I gotta mention, that once you get out of Jersey (no offense), its actually one truly amazing drive. The proverbial rolling hills and mountains, my ears are popping left and right from being clogged from the flight--then being unclogged--and so on and so on.
So we're zipping along in our Infiniti, which is actually a real nice car--although the whole Hertz slogan about how every car has Sirius satellite radio is a bunch of nonsense, because OUR car did not--and in about an hour and a half we cross into New York, having managed to totally miss the city and we start making our way towards upstate New York. Hills....mountains....I am not talking about the sort of hills that we have in south Florida, which are of the "hey, we just drove across the I-95 overpass--wow, what a hill that was" sort of a hill. These things were freakin MOUNTAINS. I mean, you would lose radio signals for about half a mile and then regain it after you got out of the valley. Truly, truly awesome.
It reminded me of one of the reasons that I hate Florida so much. It might be the nation's most boring state to drive through. The Florida Turnpike? If it wasn't for the billboards you might begin to hallucinate. I mean this was like some sort of a painting.
Every mile you came across a stretch that was more beautiful than the one before.
Eventually we pull off the main highway and make our way towards our intended stay.
This was a good 30 miles on 2 lane roads going up and down, up and down. My wife and I kept remarking how beautiful it was while figuring that in the winter that the old snowplows probably weren't going to make this stretch of road their first destination....ya know what I mean?
Finally we pull onto an even smaller two lane road and go up into the hills, past farmhouses and.....swear to God....meadows that have DEER grazing in them. I was beginning to wonder if we secretly weren't like the couple at the end of the movie Funny Farm....where the whole town was being paid to act like authentic country folks with little picturesque things happening here and there....seriously, it was like something out of a movie.
We were staying at the lovely Villa Roma resort. Here again, let me recall a movie to describe the place. Remember the resort that Baby and her family stayed at in Dirty Dancing? That was what this place is like--which is also to say that, while its very nice, it was probably way nicer about 20 years ago. It just has that slightly dated feel to it.
So we check in and as we're walking down the hall, looking for our room, I begin to hear my brother's voice. So I start yelling out for him, figuring if its him, he'll respond, and if its the ghost of one of the past residents of the Villa Roma, they'll probably shut right up. So we hook up with him and his wife Angie and then my parents emerge from their room, and we're all together. Well.....all together that is except for my sister and her family--and I'm about to get to that.
So I can't help noticing that we are missing a key element to the family gathering--to wit:
One sister and her family. Now, I had gotten a phone call from her earlier in the day telling me that they had missed their plane--which of course began the inevitable inquires as to whether or not her daughter had overslept again (sorry Scarlett)--because they had gotten there, oh...I dunno, like 30 minutes before the plane was leaving and were told that it was too late to get their luggage on the plane, so if they were going to make the flight they would have to carry the luggage on the plane with them....which of course meant that all their cosmetics would have to be thrown out---which was where Scarlett drew the line. Think about it. Your in upstate New York for a family reunion with people you haven't seen in 20 years, and won't see for another 10 years....AND NO MAKEUP??!!!???
Well needless to say, the decision was made right then and they began looking into later flights. (I say that sentence with total respect and admiration of my bro-in-law Johnny, because if that had been me---I'd have been tossing my daughter's makeup into the trash--your a better man than I Gunga Din!) So then they finally get into Philadelphia, and begin to watch as their luggage is sitting out on the tarmac....and there's no plane to take them to their final destination. And naturally the good folks at USAir are offering zero explainations. So finally, a couple of hours later they finally are on board and make their way to join us. By that point, those of us already in New York had made our way to my cousin Lynn's farm. You know their well connected when the road they live on is named after them. Again with the rolling hills and valleys, and then on the side of a large hill is this picturesque (there's that word again--get used to it) house and farm. We get out and walk up to say hello with relatives that we haven't seen in literally forever.
My cousins Lynn, Gerri & Bridget along with my Aunt Gerri, who's always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. She was...hmm....appearing to feel no pain that evening as the toddies were flowing quite liberally.
Apparently Aunt Gerri had warned the NY crew about me, so...ya know....I tried to put on a bit of a show for them (Very Important---You have to KNOW your audience). Soon after, my sister arrived with her family and then Aunt Gerri's youngest daughter Maureen showed also. At some point during the evening Aunt Gerri started telling a story about someone getting a vasectomy, but we really weren't sure who she was referring too (keep that reference in mind for later). After way too short a stay, we all bid our good nights and headed back to our hotel. Lynn and her husband still had lots of planning to do....and we had a whole day to explore the surrounding area.
We decided to head up the Hudson River and visit West Point.
End of Part 1.
Later,
Jeff
I mean, can you really blame her?
Fast forward to this past weekend, and myself, the wife and the two young un's flew up to the first reunion in over a decade. It was quite the experience, I don't mind telling you. I'll try and keep it short---but you know me....I like to go into detail.
The four of us were flying JetBlue, and I have to tell you....it was one of the nicest flights I've had in a long time. Every one of the seats on the plane has a t.v. screen in front of it with Directv....so instead of flying and being bored out of your mind, you have 35 channels to choose from to watch. What can be better than that? So we arrive in the beautiful haven of Newark, NJ (which caused me to wonder why NJ was ever termed the "Garden State" I gotta tell ya) and after a slight disagreement of which rental car we would take (the kids and I wanted the new Mustang--the wife wanted the Infiniti---I let her win) we were on the one road that leads to everywhere in Jersey.
The Jersey Turnpike.
And I gotta mention, that once you get out of Jersey (no offense), its actually one truly amazing drive. The proverbial rolling hills and mountains, my ears are popping left and right from being clogged from the flight--then being unclogged--and so on and so on.
So we're zipping along in our Infiniti, which is actually a real nice car--although the whole Hertz slogan about how every car has Sirius satellite radio is a bunch of nonsense, because OUR car did not--and in about an hour and a half we cross into New York, having managed to totally miss the city and we start making our way towards upstate New York. Hills....mountains....I am not talking about the sort of hills that we have in south Florida, which are of the "hey, we just drove across the I-95 overpass--wow, what a hill that was" sort of a hill. These things were freakin MOUNTAINS. I mean, you would lose radio signals for about half a mile and then regain it after you got out of the valley. Truly, truly awesome.
It reminded me of one of the reasons that I hate Florida so much. It might be the nation's most boring state to drive through. The Florida Turnpike? If it wasn't for the billboards you might begin to hallucinate. I mean this was like some sort of a painting.
Every mile you came across a stretch that was more beautiful than the one before.
Eventually we pull off the main highway and make our way towards our intended stay.
This was a good 30 miles on 2 lane roads going up and down, up and down. My wife and I kept remarking how beautiful it was while figuring that in the winter that the old snowplows probably weren't going to make this stretch of road their first destination....ya know what I mean?
Finally we pull onto an even smaller two lane road and go up into the hills, past farmhouses and.....swear to God....meadows that have DEER grazing in them. I was beginning to wonder if we secretly weren't like the couple at the end of the movie Funny Farm....where the whole town was being paid to act like authentic country folks with little picturesque things happening here and there....seriously, it was like something out of a movie.
We were staying at the lovely Villa Roma resort. Here again, let me recall a movie to describe the place. Remember the resort that Baby and her family stayed at in Dirty Dancing? That was what this place is like--which is also to say that, while its very nice, it was probably way nicer about 20 years ago. It just has that slightly dated feel to it.
So we check in and as we're walking down the hall, looking for our room, I begin to hear my brother's voice. So I start yelling out for him, figuring if its him, he'll respond, and if its the ghost of one of the past residents of the Villa Roma, they'll probably shut right up. So we hook up with him and his wife Angie and then my parents emerge from their room, and we're all together. Well.....all together that is except for my sister and her family--and I'm about to get to that.
So I can't help noticing that we are missing a key element to the family gathering--to wit:
One sister and her family. Now, I had gotten a phone call from her earlier in the day telling me that they had missed their plane--which of course began the inevitable inquires as to whether or not her daughter had overslept again (sorry Scarlett)--because they had gotten there, oh...I dunno, like 30 minutes before the plane was leaving and were told that it was too late to get their luggage on the plane, so if they were going to make the flight they would have to carry the luggage on the plane with them....which of course meant that all their cosmetics would have to be thrown out---which was where Scarlett drew the line. Think about it. Your in upstate New York for a family reunion with people you haven't seen in 20 years, and won't see for another 10 years....AND NO MAKEUP??!!!???
Well needless to say, the decision was made right then and they began looking into later flights. (I say that sentence with total respect and admiration of my bro-in-law Johnny, because if that had been me---I'd have been tossing my daughter's makeup into the trash--your a better man than I Gunga Din!) So then they finally get into Philadelphia, and begin to watch as their luggage is sitting out on the tarmac....and there's no plane to take them to their final destination. And naturally the good folks at USAir are offering zero explainations. So finally, a couple of hours later they finally are on board and make their way to join us. By that point, those of us already in New York had made our way to my cousin Lynn's farm. You know their well connected when the road they live on is named after them. Again with the rolling hills and valleys, and then on the side of a large hill is this picturesque (there's that word again--get used to it) house and farm. We get out and walk up to say hello with relatives that we haven't seen in literally forever.
My cousins Lynn, Gerri & Bridget along with my Aunt Gerri, who's always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. She was...hmm....appearing to feel no pain that evening as the toddies were flowing quite liberally.
Apparently Aunt Gerri had warned the NY crew about me, so...ya know....I tried to put on a bit of a show for them (Very Important---You have to KNOW your audience). Soon after, my sister arrived with her family and then Aunt Gerri's youngest daughter Maureen showed also. At some point during the evening Aunt Gerri started telling a story about someone getting a vasectomy, but we really weren't sure who she was referring too (keep that reference in mind for later). After way too short a stay, we all bid our good nights and headed back to our hotel. Lynn and her husband still had lots of planning to do....and we had a whole day to explore the surrounding area.
We decided to head up the Hudson River and visit West Point.
End of Part 1.
Later,
Jeff
9/11---A day not to forget...being part of history.
First of all, before I begin telling you what a great time I had this past weekend, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that today is the 5 year anniversary of 9/11. I'm sure everyone has their own thoughts, views and memories of that horrible day.....just as I do. I remember being in court around 9am when an attorney came and told me a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I can still recall thinking of what a freak sort of accident that must have been--not realizing at the time the horrible piece of living history that I was going through at the time. The day went on and began to unfold like a bad dimestore novel, with everyone beginning to slow freak out over what was happening--and then of course wondering if more attacks would be forthcoming. We all went home in an almost blind panic....wanting to hold our families a little bit tighter that night...to keep them a little bit closer to us. I was still relatively new to the whole business of being a "dad" at that point, and I can remember talking to my own father, trying to understand the madness that was unfolding on television in front of me and my own children. My wife and I made the decision to have the children watch what was happening, to try and let them know that they were viewing a part of our nation's history right there on television before their very own eyes.
I can remember my daughter Kellie, then aged 9, asking me if they were going to attack us here in Coral Springs, Florida....and remember telling her that what was happening was in New York City--and had nothing to do with Coral Springs, Florida.
It was a couple of days later that I read that one of the terrorists had in fact, lived in Coral Springs, Florida the previous year---not even a mile from my house. I might have walked past the guy one day in a mall or at the grocery store.
And I realized that what happened that day was not about New York City. It was about ALL of us......you, me....them.
This was our generation's Pearl Harbor...being broadcast to us in our living rooms.
We were part of history, and 5 years later....we must not, we cannot...ever forget.
Later,
Jeff
I can remember my daughter Kellie, then aged 9, asking me if they were going to attack us here in Coral Springs, Florida....and remember telling her that what was happening was in New York City--and had nothing to do with Coral Springs, Florida.
It was a couple of days later that I read that one of the terrorists had in fact, lived in Coral Springs, Florida the previous year---not even a mile from my house. I might have walked past the guy one day in a mall or at the grocery store.
And I realized that what happened that day was not about New York City. It was about ALL of us......you, me....them.
This was our generation's Pearl Harbor...being broadcast to us in our living rooms.
We were part of history, and 5 years later....we must not, we cannot...ever forget.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, September 3, 2006
9/3/06---Never a doubt in my mind
GULP.....well, maybe just a little bit of doubt in my mind.....seriously, if we had one of our previous two coaches, we lose last night's game. As it was:
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Post-game salute |
Saturday, September 2, 2006
9/2/06---This is the time....and this is the team
Yes, its that time....college football season is here. Or, as my ex-wife used to say:
"Time for you to show that you love something more than me". Hey, that's one of the reasons why she's an EX-wife.
My beloved Fighting Irish open the season tonight in Atlanta against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets....or Ramblin Wreck if you prefer. Some of the "experts" are forecasting an upset. I'll just say this. If Ty Willingham was still our coach....they'd probably be right. But Charlie Weis is our coach now. I don't think so.
Notre Dame-35 Georgia Tech-20
And now....as we prepare for tonight's game...courtesy of Blue-Gray Sky blog:
"Time for you to show that you love something more than me". Hey, that's one of the reasons why she's an EX-wife.
My beloved Fighting Irish open the season tonight in Atlanta against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets....or Ramblin Wreck if you prefer. Some of the "experts" are forecasting an upset. I'll just say this. If Ty Willingham was still our coach....they'd probably be right. But Charlie Weis is our coach now. I don't think so.
Notre Dame-35 Georgia Tech-20
And now....as we prepare for tonight's game...courtesy of Blue-Gray Sky blog:
I can't wait.
I can't wait for the Irish captains to walk to midfield before the game.
I can't wait for Travis Thomas to make his first tackle as a linebacker.
I can't wait for Rhema McKnight's first receiving touchdown.
I can't wait for the first Weis outburst on the sideline.
I can't wait for Victor to toss his man aside and get the sack.
I can't wait for Zibby to hit someone so hard he forgets his name.
I can't wait to see which kicker gets the call for the first field goal.
I can't wait to watch Darius find the hole in the line that no one else sees.
I can't wait to watch for the first bomb from Quinn to Samardzija.
I can't wait for Asaph Schwapp to lay out his first linebacker.
I can't wait to see all of the freshman making their first play for the Irish
The 2006 Notre Dame football season starts in a few hours.
I can't wait.
I can't wait for the Irish captains to walk to midfield before the game.
I can't wait for Travis Thomas to make his first tackle as a linebacker.
I can't wait for Rhema McKnight's first receiving touchdown.
I can't wait for the first Weis outburst on the sideline.
I can't wait for Victor to toss his man aside and get the sack.
I can't wait for Zibby to hit someone so hard he forgets his name.
I can't wait to see which kicker gets the call for the first field goal.
I can't wait to watch Darius find the hole in the line that no one else sees.
I can't wait to watch for the first bomb from Quinn to Samardzija.
I can't wait for Asaph Schwapp to lay out his first linebacker.
I can't wait to see all of the freshman making their first play for the Irish
The 2006 Notre Dame football season starts in a few hours.
I can't wait.
Go Irish.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
August 29, 2006---Once more...into the breach we go
Down here in south Florida, they call it...."the cone of uncertainty". Or, the wiseguys on radio call it..."the cone of death". Yes, it must be late summer, because once again we're looking a hurricane in the face again. Well, maybe not a hurricane--technically.
As I right this, its a tropical storm, which means that its a few miles-an-hour short of being a legitimate hurricane. Not that I have a problem with that mind you.
We got brushed by Katrina last year, elbowed in the mouth by Wilma, and just missed getting piledriven by countless others. Of course, that doesn't mean that we still don't have the usual amount of idiots on television who say that they are "looking forward to going through a hurricane", so that they can "see what its like". Seriously.
What sort of idiot do you have to be to make a comment like that? I sure don't hear anyone up in Oklahoma talking about how much they look forward to a tornado.
I don't recall hearing anyone from California begging for another earthquake so they can live the experience.
Nitwits.
Meanwhile we'll continue to watch the news and hope that the storm continues to stay at tropical storm intensity. Last year, when we had the two hurricanes impact us, the downtown Ft Lauderdale area took a major hit, with the courthouse having windows blown out and the school board building having one whole side of the place lose literally EVERY single window. Maybe that's why, late yesterday, that we were told that the courthouse was going to be closed Tuesday, Wednesday AND Thursday for a storm that at the time was a tropical storm. The first thought that everyone had was..."there is NO WAY they are going to close the building for that long". Of course, I'm sure the feeling was a "better safe than sorry" sort of thing....and I'm going to hope that I get a free 3 day pass during the week for a storm that doesn't impact us as badly as we might have feared. Time to catch up on some reading and watch a few movies.
Stay dry and safe.
Later,
Jeff
As I right this, its a tropical storm, which means that its a few miles-an-hour short of being a legitimate hurricane. Not that I have a problem with that mind you.
We got brushed by Katrina last year, elbowed in the mouth by Wilma, and just missed getting piledriven by countless others. Of course, that doesn't mean that we still don't have the usual amount of idiots on television who say that they are "looking forward to going through a hurricane", so that they can "see what its like". Seriously.
What sort of idiot do you have to be to make a comment like that? I sure don't hear anyone up in Oklahoma talking about how much they look forward to a tornado.
I don't recall hearing anyone from California begging for another earthquake so they can live the experience.
Nitwits.
Meanwhile we'll continue to watch the news and hope that the storm continues to stay at tropical storm intensity. Last year, when we had the two hurricanes impact us, the downtown Ft Lauderdale area took a major hit, with the courthouse having windows blown out and the school board building having one whole side of the place lose literally EVERY single window. Maybe that's why, late yesterday, that we were told that the courthouse was going to be closed Tuesday, Wednesday AND Thursday for a storm that at the time was a tropical storm. The first thought that everyone had was..."there is NO WAY they are going to close the building for that long". Of course, I'm sure the feeling was a "better safe than sorry" sort of thing....and I'm going to hope that I get a free 3 day pass during the week for a storm that doesn't impact us as badly as we might have feared. Time to catch up on some reading and watch a few movies.
Stay dry and safe.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, August 27, 2006
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