My Superbowl Sunday

Posted on February 6, 2017February 6, 2017 by Dusty Roads

I want to thank everyone who reads and follows my posts. You kept your comments positive. I don’t agree with the”trash Talking” world we live in. I was very into sports in high school, even a cheerleader, and the golden rule was always to support our team but treat our opponent’s with respect. Win or lose, be a good sport!

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So let me tell you a little about my experience yesterday. There were 3 legs to my journey to Maui. The first leg was Providence RI to Charlotte, NC. There were a lot of Patriots shirts, hats and T’s to show support for the big day.

I didn’t think much about it. In New England we wear sports team jerseys every day. Its just what we do. Anyway once we landed in Charlotte after an on time and very pleasant flight, the flight attendants announced (as a joke, I hope) that they were now “kicking all of the Pat’s Fans off the plane, Go Falcons!” I’m not sure if that was in good taste but I thought it pretty humorous and I didn’t see anyone take it the wrong way. It all depends on how you say things.

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Between the Concourses at Charlotte Airport. Love the rocking chairs

Leg number two was a nail biter. The plane coming in was delayed. They never said why but American Gate attendants did their best to keep us updated and once the plane did arrive they hustled us on board as fast as possible. Apparently quite a few people, myself included, had tight connections. Once on board and sealed up we started to taxi to the run way, then stopped. I bet we sat on the tarmac for 20 minutes or more, at least it seemed that way.

The crowd waiting to hear news of our delayed flight

As if to make up for the delay, our flight crew gave us a travelogue all along the way. “We’re flying over the Mississippi, look now the Rocky mountains are coming up, You can see Santa Fe. There’s Albuquerque to the left. Looks like plenty of snow for the skiers in the mountains.” The one thing they didn’t say was what time we’d land.

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Finally there was Phoenix! The cabin crew asked everyone to let off passengers with connecting flights first. Luckily we landed at Gate 23 and our departing flight to Maui was Gate 24. Same concourse, just “across the way”.

Myself and my fellow passengers to Maui (7 of us) raced to the gate. Our plane was scheduled to leave at 2:45 Mountain time. It was 2:55 when we landed. Many thanks to American Airlines. They held the plane for us!

Now for the cynical side comment…It was probably cheaper to hold the plane than to put 7 of us up for the night and rebook the next day…or option two, ship us to San Francisco and then look for a connecting flight to Maui. In any case, Thanks American! Nice job!

Superbowl Sunday

Posted on February 5, 2017February 5, 2017 by Dusty Roads

Before anyone starts yelling mean things about the New England Patriots, remember I am from a New England state. I’ve heard it all and I am sick of it. Suck it up , cupcake. The New England Patriots win games. You hate us ’cause you ain’t us! So I am not going to get pulled into a Pat’s bashing dialog. No whining about “cheaters”. No complaining because we’re in the Superbowl “AGAIN”.

I am not going to put your team down. I am not going to call your team names. ( Not even if it’s the Cleveland Browns)

I work in Foxboro, home of Gillette Stadium.

I’ve been to Patriot’s Place.

I like Tom Brady. I’d like to see him get one more ring.

(Brookline, MA, 0/14/15) New England quarterback Tom Brady holds his hands with all four of his Super Bowl rings during a ceremony on Sunday, June 14, 2015. Photo courtesy of the New England Patriots

I have friends in Atlanta. I’ve been there. It’s a nice city.

I have nothing against the Atlanta Falcons. Congratulations on making the Superbowl!

That being said,

May it be an exciting game, a true nail biter. Make it a game worthy of a “SUPER” bowl.

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‘Nuf Said!

Trekking Poles

Posted on April 25, 2016April 25, 2016 by Dusty Roads

A friend of mine sent me a list of easy hikes in Massachusetts.

Several of them really piqued my interest but after reading the descriptions I felt it would be wise to get another pair of trekking poles. I haven’t done serious hiking since I got hurt several years ago and although I’m feeling much better these days, I’m still not sure of my endurance or balance.

I had an inexpensive pair but I was never able to lock the length of the shaft. It always slipped. Those poles had the external twist lock. Eventually I gave them away. I used my monopod as a walking stick after that.

So having reviewed the type of terrain I’d need to maneuver to do these hikes I decided a pair of trekking poles would be better than the monopod but I wanted to be sure I could adjust them.

I decided to start at Dick’s sporting goods because it was the closest sporting goods store to me. When I got to the store I asked what department I needed and the clerk began to tell me they probably didn’t have any but if the did they would be with the camping equipment.

I headed toward the camping department with him hot on my heels and talking into his collar like a CIA agent. We were met by the employee assigned to camping.

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The first set of poles I was offered had the twist lock. I asked the two clerks if they could show me how they worked. I explained that I was never able to get them to actually lock. Thus started a comical few minutes while they tried to lock the poles only to put pressure on them and have them collapse. While they fussed over those poles I spotted another set that had an external lever lock.

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I picked those out and gave them a flip. They worked perfectly. I interrupted the twist lock testing to tell them I was all set and would take the lever lock set. A got a couple of blank looks and then the clerk from the camping department seemed to recover his wits. He asked some very good questions about my hiking needs and confirmed that these poles were probably better than the twist locks.

I have a feeling that at least one of the clerks is going to be looking into the locking mechanisms closer. The problem with the twist lock caught them both by surprise but Mr. Camping department clerk is also a hiker and before I left with my new poles, he and I exchanged information about local hikes in Massachusetts and the White Mountains of NH.

I hope the weather is nice next weekend. I want to take a hike with my camera and break in these trekking poles. Maybe Bash Bish Falls would be a good first hike of the season.

Can Spring Be Far Behind?

Posted on March 5, 2016March 5, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Last weekend I was up in the Revere/ Winthrop area for work. It was a beautiful day, bright and sunny with blue skies. It was the kind of day that hinted at the promise of spring. You could almost hear the buds popping out!

I was in the area to get an exterior photo of a home we’re about to put on the market.

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We wanted blue skies. With that mission accomplished I decided to go to Revere Beach to get a roast beef sandwich from Kelly’s.

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There was quite a wind off the ocean so I ended up eating my sandwich in the car instead of at one of the tables but the wind provided it’s own entertainment.

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The water may be cold but at least one die hard wind surfer was out.

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When he finally hit the water all I could do was shiver. Wet suit or not, that must have been cold!

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Can spring be that far away?

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This and That

Posted on September 7, 2013September 7, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Mayor Stubbs: We know what’s going on with Mayor Stubbs, how he was mauled by a canine assassin and is clinging to life. I checked his Facebook page to see if there was any update on his condition but I didn’t see anything new. However there was a cute post. One of his young fans wrote him a song. http://youtu.be/XOEaFNfdQfo Now that should make him feel better. Maybe we could get him to run for President?

In Sports :

Tim Tebow was released by the New England Patriots.

He vows to continue his pursuit of an NFL career. Reports are that an unnamed NFL team was willing to pick him up if he’s change positions..no more quarterback. Tim allegedly declined.

And Aaron Hernandez appeared in court where he pled not guilty to all charges. You know who he is, right. He was a New England Patriot until he was charged with murder. Then, of course, the Pats fired him. Makes me wonder how they could have hired him in the first place. He had a history of violence and it seems like the team should have known.

And more cat news!

Alaska isn’t safe for kitties at the moment! Mayor Stubbs is mauled and now a cat in Juneau survives an 11 story fall from a window. The cat did not get away unscathed. He suffered broken bones and had to endure surgery to , Like Humpty Dumpty, put him back together again. According to the Juneau Empire, the cat, named Wasabi, was chasing the Alaska State Bird when it flew out the window of the 11th floor apartment and he followed.