So, we’ve all been in airports and it seems that whenever we get off a flight, we see and feel the same things consistently.

1.  Need to go to the bathroom.  Enough said – been there, done that.
2.  The need to get food.  Even if you just ate on the flight.  There’s something about the stress that one experiences on a flight that requires the counter chemical reaction of comfort food.
3.  The MONSTROUS amount of people TEXTING or doing email by cell phone.
4.  Bluetooth headsets EVERYWHERE!
5.  Everyone trying to out “laptop” each other.

Let me talk about the last one.  Right now around me as I type is about seven people with laptops out, furiously typing or surfing away.  I have one guy with a humongous Dell 17″ laptop that is about 2 inches thick.  The thing must weigh about 8-9 lbs, easy.  He’s got a headset on, he’s got his mini infrared mouse, and he’s looking very, very perturbed at the high school students who are sitting next to him.  They just want to eat, pee, text, and talk on their cell phones.  But they have not noticed his gigantor laptop.

I’ve got another person near me with the tiniest laptop I have ever seen.  Its not the Mac Air but its pretty small.  The screen is small, the keyboard is small, and it just seems impossible to use.  But it doesn’t weigh 8 to 9 lbs either so that’s a cool thing.

The amount of folks who are in constant contact with the Inter-web is just astounding. And I know I’m part of that culture. I can’t help it.  Even as I’m typing, I’m picking up personal email on my iPhone. Why don’t I just use the fricken laptop that I have open?  Well, then I would not be able to write this post.

Don’t be silly.

Bobby

U of R was a very strong team over the last few years but not really on par with the UCLAs and Vols of the world.

Greg, if you are out there, I’m sorry your Volunteers are so bad….ha!

Currently watching Florida play Miami.  These two teams do not play often and normally its a very spirited game. So far, Miami looks really pathetic and Florida appears to be the stronger of the two.  But its early, so we will see.

Bo.

But a win is a win and I’m taking it. Now I have to figure out getting back out to the USC game the first weekend of December.

Go Bruins!

Bo.

Some of the locals that I happened to visit have great stores that I am going to visit again…and again….and again.

Books!
http://delriofoto.com/blog/DaP
This is my type of book store.  Coffee, great places to sit, good music and Wi-Fi!

Coffee and Food!
http://delriofoto.com/blog/DW
and their other business:  http://delriofoto.com/blog/Bn
Note:  Had a most AWESOME latte at this place. The espresso [it might have been a dark roast] was most excellent, the cup [yes a real cup] was big, and the service was great.
The baked goods are scrumptious looking – although, I was a good boy and did not partake.  Maybe next time.

ICE CREAM!
M&M Ice Cream Parlor
No website but here’s some information
105 W Bank St
Petersburg, VA 23803-3215
Phone: (804) 733-9499

I did indulge in a nice waffle cone with a scoop of Butter Brickle and plain ol’ chocolate at M&M’s.
Its a nice family owned joint with a lot of eclectic style.

ONE little caveat: Some of these images will have a color cast to them and/or be slightly soft in detail. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me through my Contact Page or by using your trusty email program at bobby@delriofoto.com

Examples of post processed images were found in a previous post…click here or scroll down.

AND…some random goodies from the event

Post processed image of a barn door. You never know what you might get until you go into the digital darkroom.

And some flowers. Not a great composition but the flowers were very vibrant around this farm.

Wow! We are currently on the New Jersey TP and according to the GPS unit, we should be at home by 530pm today. For all others traveling home or going to Chatanooga for the Terv Nationals, be safe.

I received A LOT of things to write about and will do so in the following days. Of course, this will be after the fact but I hope that you’ll enjoy it just the same. First, I AM a coffee snob. And I realized I’m a dairy creamer snob too. The hotel ONLY had non-dairy creamer packaged to look like the real stuff. But the taste buds ALWAYS know…and I knew.

It was also very convenient to have a hotel with a restaurant. But I now hate Harry’s Bar and Grill with a passion. I must have gained 5 lbs from just beer drinking. Glass o’ Smithwicks anyone?

Friend Andy ended up spending a cool grand on a radiator replacement on Friday-Saturday. I told him the saving grace was it happened during the week and not on the way home. He, sadly, resigned himself to missing Rally O on Saturday as they waited to get their van back from Firestone. I got a call around 130pm on Saturday to give him a lift to the shop.

- Good news for him: Rally had not yet begun.

- End of the story: Ace the Malinois getting a blue ribbon!

I joked that it was the most expensive ribbon that I’ve ever heard anyone receiving.

I did get to meet Geoff Stern but not until he was about to leave. He’s contributed heavily to the ABMC website’s blog entries and I was able to shake the great man’s hand. For some reason, he kept talking about going down to the Decati dealership to test drive some bikes while Roseann was busy elsewhere. He was tired of the quiet Connecticut atmosphere and felt it was time to shake up the locals.

Last but not least …. I only had 1 Bloody Mary, 1 beer, 2 martinis [1 dirty, 1 straight up] and a glass of water at the banquet. AND that was not me screaming out “You da man” when Carol Shields was congratulated on a “Nationals well done”. And that still was not me screaming out “You da man” when Russ Beach gave his views on the dogs he saw during sweeps. But everyone is insisting it was me.

A few more select pics