Anyway, he did a shout out for others who read that piece to do the same. I never have, personally, done this in my short blogging career, although I have seen it done a ton of times on more popular blogs than mine. Although, I think, 16,993 hits since late May 2008 isn't to bad. It does help to be from a large, computer literate family who check in alot. Thanks and glad you find Counting along with me amusing.
So, like the CDM, I keep all of my images in separate folders so I, too, went to the 4th folder and pulled the 4th image out of that folder. Not nearly as hilarious as CDM's but here it is.
This is a shot of me taken during a trip to Las Vegas in 2001.
Now the 4 items:
1. I still have that sport coat, shirt, slacks and shoes. That sport coat is also the one I wore to my Dad's Mass and Memorial service. I have those slacks on at this very moment.
2. I am standing in front of the Flower Gardens at the Bellagio Casino on the Strip in Vegas.
3. When I mentioned to my co-travellers that, on what was our last night in Vegas, we were going to visit a Flower Display, one in our group was so pissed at me, she did not even speak to me during the 15 minute walk there. When we walked into that huge room with about 250,000 fresh flowers in it, her husband turned to me and mouthed, "You are forgiven".
4. In sending out my Xmas cards for 2001, I included a letter of my exploits for the previous year. I received such a degrading email from one of my siblings about my wastefulness, that I have not spoken to that person since, and anytime someone in my family mentions I should hook back up with that person, I pull out a copy of that email I have in my "records" hard file, reread it and remember why I haven't spoken to her since then. It saddens me as I am the Godfather to her boys.
So thanks to the CDM for the challenge, the memories, both good and bad, and I am passing along the CDM's challenge to you. Pull the 4th photo in your My Pictures library and let's see it. Pass me along a link.
That's it.
What?
Not enough?
Me neither.
There is a whole cool ass story here and, of course, I feel compelled to share it with you.
Refresh those beverages and hang on for another all around the board post from this old longrooffan. Go on, I'll wait for you to get back.
All set?
And Away We Go ...
Back in the late 90's and early 00's, I was running a home building franchise for The Big Tomato down in Naples. It was the most fun job I have ever had. We offered a great product, had great subcontractors and an excellent bunch of coworkers. I would love to recreate that environment again. It was just a blast with no stress.
One of the contractors we worked with was Clay. We had worked together on a previous project at a previous firm, and, due to my inexperience at that time, he lost his job because of me. I still, some ten years later, feel absolutely terrible about that. Anyway, the first jobsite I walked on working for The Big Tomato was one where Clay was coordinating a cabinet install. I had not seen him since that previous experience and his first words to me were, and I quote, "I got a good gig going here and don't f*** it up for me. Just the fact he felt he needed to say that to me still embarrasses me to no end.
But at least I have no images of me throwing up so I guess all is good.
Anyway, Clay, his wife, Kelly, and I ended up becoming good friends.
Around this time, I was hanging at Remie's Bistro, just a few blocks from my condo and ended up meeting Jill while sitting at the bar having dinner one night. Jill and I struck up a conversation and ended up hitting it off.
At this time, I was in my early 40's, divorced, Jessica still lived in Naples and I was doing the divorced Dad thing every Wednesday and every other weekend and very content with my family situation and my life.
Jill was in her late 30's and that biological clock was louder than Big Ben at High Noon. She expressed her desire to have a few kids and settle into motherhood.
Well needless to say, I knew at that moment we were not destined to be together and told her as much.
After all that, we ended up becoming good friends and, after she was introduced to Clay and Kelly, we ended up hanging out alot and having a bunch of fun together.
Trips to the East Coast for ball games, air shows, happy hours at Outback, Labor Day weekend beach parties....I even remember a dinner at a restaurant we went to because Jill had a coupon for a free bottle of wine. Needless to say, that was one expensive dinner and we laughed about that forever. Just a bunch of fun with a group who like to have fun with no stress. And while, initially, they laughed at that old longroof Mercury Sable I had, after they rode in it, it became the preferred method of transportation.
The image following is of the four of us alongside Lake Meade, Nevada. Left to right, Clay, Kelly, Jill and the old longrooffan.
Now for a wedding gift at Clay and Kelly's, then recent, wedding, they received a bunch of timeshare points and I still don't know how that works, and don't really care. What mattered is that over the summer of 2001, Kelly got a call from the timeshare company inquiring if Kelly knew another couple who might be interested in purchasing a timeshare. If so, we will put you all up at our new timeshare project right on Las Vegas Blvd. for 6 days and 7 nights, no charge, just get there. Kelly immediately called me and asked if I would go and would she mind if she asked Jill to go to fill out the couple scenario? Oh, by the way, round trip flights, if we book now are $185.00
Let's see? Free lodging for a week in Vegas? A buck eighty five flight? Count Me In!!
So we went.
As I have previously mentioned, I think, whenever I travel anywhere, the first thing I do is pick up all those free tourist magazines and check out all the things the local businesses think we should do during our stay. If you have never done this, you should. You could then earn the nickname, "Tour Guide", as I have on more than one occasion.
It was in one of these magazines I found out about the Gardens at the Bellagio, a super expensive hotel and casino we would never have set foot in, if not for that free garden tour I found in one of those rags.
Now the Bellagio does things right. As a matter of fact, The Big Tomato always stayed there on his many trips to Vegas during the time I ran his company. They have a water fountains feature or see them in the following video.
And for more on the gardens, click on that link.
Well we had a blast on that whole trip. The fact we partook in alot of what Clay is holding in his hand didn't hurt matters at all.
We caught The Blue Man group, shopping at another cool casino/mall/hotel. Sat through a presentation by Mac, a retired experimental test pilot, on the advantages of the timeshare we were enjoying.
That presentation was a blast. I dubbed him "Mac the Knife" and we went from there. Clay arrived with a "Do Not Disturb" sign from the condo door hooked on the button of the shirt. Mac asked all of us what we did and when it came to be my turn, I told him I was owned a garbarge company and, after that, he pretty much ignored me. It was funny, I know a dude who actually does own one and he is loaded!!
When we toured a model timeshare, there were cold bottles of wine in the fridge in the kitchen and I tried like hell to find a corkscrew, but to no avail. If I had, we would have been drinking that cold Chardonney like we owned the place.
Ironically, I just recently found out that during the week I was born, the last week in September, 1959, "Mac the Knife" by Bobby Darin, was the number 1 song in the USA!!
As I am probably sure you have surmised by now, we did not buy that timeshare, but man we had a blast!
One day we rented an SUV and headed out to Lake Meade and the Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, this was just after 9-11 and the dam tour was closed but, as the tour guide, I made up for it. You see, down here in the South, at the time, there was no A&W Root Beer locations. Well out there, in I think it is Carswell, Nevada, could be wrong and don't really care, there was an old fashioned A&W Root Beer Stand, complete with the statues on the roof of the A&W Bear Family.
I, of course, whipped a Ueee to head back to that A&W stand, a location not one of which my fellow travelers had ever previously visited. We went inside and stood just over the cooler and I ordered an A&W Rootbeer in cold mugs for each of us. After I ordered, the sweet young thing behind the counter asked if we wanted a table. I commented, "No, we are just here for that Frosty Mug Taste." We finished those cold mugs of rootbeer and headed out. That's a memory I will carry with me a long time.
Lake Meade and Hoover Dam were cool and we visited pretty much anyplace we could get to without getting shot and had a great time.
To soon, that SUV had to be home and we headed back to Sin City for more fun.
Now, I knew at this time that my friend Jill was interested in me as more than a friend. As I am as commitment-phobic as can be and have often lost some great women in my life because of that. Nonetheless, "that's just the kind of guy I am".
Anyway on the drunken stupor I will call that flight to Vegas, I commented to Jill that if "We see Elvis, I will marry you". Yeah I know, very Dumb.
Another day, we rented one of these rides and cruised up and down the Strip O' Vegas. Once we were passed, at about 15 mph, by a limo and I hollered out to throught the open window, "Seen Elvis?". The driver yelled back, "Yeah, he's in the trunk".
Here is a shot of Kelly and Clay in the back of this fun ride. It was like $20 for two or three hours. Check out those smiles. That describes the whole trip.
That morning, we rode down the strip to Downtown Las Vegas and, on the way, we passed by the Elvis Marriage Chapel. A woman was sweeping the sidewalk out front and we stopped and asked if Elvis was around. Her response? "He'll be in at 3:00."
During that whole week in Vegas, we never saw Elvis and again, needlesstosay, Jill and I did not get married that week.
Another day, we rented another SUV and headed out to Red Rock Mountain, a beautiful part of the Great State of Nevada that is worth seeing, should you gain that opportunity.
Anyway, a funny beginning to that trip. Whenever The Gentleman Farmer would travel with us kids, we would always gather together the makings for a "TommyLeeSandwich". For those of you who do not know what this is, here is the recipe:
A loaf of bread;
A bottle of mustard;
A package of your favorite lunch meat
A bag of chips
And that is it. Make a sandwich as you are traveling along the road to adventure and enjoy it.
So, as Clay, Kelly, Jill and I were heading out, I stopped at a local Las Vegas Walgreens, yes they have them there also, to pick up the fixings for a TommyLee lunch out in the middle of the desert.
After I had gathered up the necessary items for that lunch, and we were headed for the checkout, I heard the sceptical one about the flower show mention she was not interested in that, and now I forget the terminalogy, MSG or preservatives or whatever. So I did What I Thought Was The Right Thing, I returned all of the items in the cart to their original locations and ended up heading out into the desert without even a bottle of water!!
Well, I can tell you that, later, when everyone was hungry, and in the middle of the desert there is no restaurant, I was not very well thought of. At best, I tried, At worst, I didn't follow my instincts. Never again, I can tell you that.
Anyway, during this cruise around the countryside, we passed through Mount Charleston, which is a snow covered mountain not far from Vegas and then headed back to the low lands where we saw this Dude. I shot this picture, yeah it was before there were digitals in my life, as he was coming down from the top of the hill. When we first spotted him, he was on the top of the hill, TALKING ON A CELL PHONE!!! So much for the romantic image of a rough and rugged cowboy from out west.
Later in the day, probably after an extended nap, we were headed through the Lobby of some hotel and Clay and I heard this 80's band going crazy in a nightclub close to the breezeway...
We heard this and headed over that way, muchto dismay of the women we were traveling with...We ended up dancing like a couple maniacs and got the whole crowd going crazy..so crazy that The Security Guys showed up to see what all the ruckus was....just me and Clay having fun...Got those 80's show girls going though....
So that was it....a Great Time Had By This Old longrooffan a long time ago and Enjoy One More Photo before I Sign Off.
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