Here and There Blog

10 am on a Sunday is fine to avoid crowds but too late to avoid mosquitoes in Wichita. Still it was a pleasant walk to the river. The Keeper of the Plains has a small exhibit and walking area . Looking back to downtown along the river path. Now it's time to cool off!

I'd start with view from the room but it's an alley. So instead the first picture is my Tornado IPA from River City Brewery. My curiosity got me here and I realized this town shuts down on weekends! 

I depressed myself after writing about 40,000 miles so I went down to the beach for sunset therapy. The waves had brought out an unusual amount of people although they quickly disappeared with the sunset. This was a perfect way to relax and put the work day aside.

That's how many miles I've flown this year. Normally at this time, I'm at 80,000 and starting to slow down. Now I'm in a 60,000 mile panic to December 31 because I need 1K to keep that wonderful airline status. So from here on out when I'm not traveling for work, I'll be doing weekend blitzes. First up is Saturday where I'm off to Wichita, Kansas. Why? I've never been there and it was cheap and within 2 time zones. I can leave on Saturday morning and be back on Monday afternoon and still have plenty of time to see everything that I would want to see there. Even with a concentrated effort this is going to be tough. My next few work trips are all short hauls - Toronto, Guatemala, and Honduras. Heck, the way it's going I might not even go home between Central American gigs and that won't help in the quest! Oddly enough for the lack of frequent flyer miles, I have a huge abundance of hotel points due to the longer stays this year in Canada and...

Carlsbad is the only beach I know that on an August Saturday, at 10 am, is not completely crowded and full. Today the waves were slightly larger than normal (and truly nothing to go on the news about) but enough to draw out the surfers and lifeguards. The swells made for a photo op day and plenty of cameras were out. Step one of the weekend plan complete - exercise at the beach! Step two which was not on the plan was pull out dead plants and weeds from the backyard. Surprisingly enough, I did it! Next up - stay cool and apply more sunscreen!

Some weeks are like that. You sit down at your desk on a Monday morning and the next thing you know it's almost the weekend. Work is work and not worth writing about but overall it was a good week. What to look forward to? Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor Who! Saturday BBC America! Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. It has bad reviews so I'll go in with low expectations and hope for the best. Exercise! Well that can happen anytime it's better when I'm not waiting on a work call or project. I'm sure there's more but it's always good to leave room for the unplanned to happen. Happy Friday! 

That was a fast week and here we are again! I had enough time to run the errands although the purchases are sitting on the couch (but out of the bags). This is the first summer in 4 years where I've spent more than two weeks in my house. Now I know why traveling is good - AIR CONDITIONING! I had no idea my house got so hot and retained the heat for so long. It hasn't gone below 78 F in two months. So next year when I think about complaining that I'm missing out on summer, I'll pause for a moment. Nothing new to report, no movies this weekend or jet setting fun. Life was about as boring normal as it could be, making yesterday the perfect Sunday! Wishing everyone a fantastic and fast week!

Even though I'm here for work and working long days, at least I almost always have an ocean view room at the hotel. In the 45 minutes free between office and then business dinner, I have the window open and the breeze flowing in. Plus the great view now that the clouds have lifted!

I get that Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding area conjures up fantasies of warm tropical beaches and umbrella drinks. It has that. Replace warm with 95+ temps, humidity that keeps you drenched in sweat, mosquito bites from the lush landscape, and needing the drinks to stay sane and you're in Vallarta. I can't deny it is beautiful. Some beauty is best served by being on an air-conditioned luxury yacht with cover from the sun. I was on more of a party boat and one that had no swimming or a/c. The good life. So after 90 minutes of baking in the sun, I was happy to turn away from the rock that we came to sea and head back to hotel home. Still, even I had to pause a moment and pick out my vacation home. I choose the red one. Tucked away more like a shack compared to the luxury homes on the hill, this one seemed the perfect spot for me to watch the boats go by. Pending the a/c install, that is!

In hot, humid Mexico for a work conference. I've got a good view from my air-conditioned room and am staying away from mosquito beach. While the water looks good and is inviting, being outside during the day has some disadvantages. Luckily we're kept in meetings so the temptation to go outside is minimal. The Grand Velas resort where we're staying is mainly for families. Business is an odd contrast to children running around and people enjoying their vacation. I guess for as much as I like cruises, I am not an all-inclusive resort sort of person. We had a show the first night with belly dancers. They were moving to fast to photograph but I snapped the camera at the right time for this one.

What a fun, normal weekend! Two movies, one play, three dinners out, and a splash of rain to top it off! That has to be my most normal (not counting the rain) weekend at home in months and months. All in the nick of time too, as this week sees me back on the road starting Wednesday, this time to Mexico. I want to spend the rest of August in hotels. My house has no a/c and hasn't cooled down below 77F since sometime in June. Normally an ocean breeze will at least flow through the windows but even that has been gone for weeks. I feel sorry for people living in hotter areas with no a/c. That's no fun. August has arrived and I hope it brings summer fun to everyone!

So much is going on in Guardians of the Galaxy that it needs a second viewing to catch it all. Once we get through the opening set-up of how young Peter Quill goes to space, the movie is then 2 hours of non-stop action. This makes for a fast paced movie that never lags and is always visually interesting but leaves little time to catch up with what is going on. I found myself wanting to linger on watching the visual effects since they are amazing but the fast pace moves to fast to allow this. The story is how the Guardians come together as a team, all of them leading less than desirable lives and then finding their heart and friendship with one another. They do this of course but the fast pace of the movie doesn't allow the audience time to emotionally connect when this happens but that's actually okay. That connection isn't needed. Guardians of the Galaxy movie posters and promos make it look like a kid's movie but it's not. It's a smart movie with lots o...