NC Zoo

Sometimes I have a hard time just getting a 'normal' picture out of Jude. He always has to pose.

Same NC Zoo trip

Great view of a lioness and a lion. The lion was lounging under the tree when the lioness came out. We cracked up when she strolled over and crashed out next to him under the tree.

More NC Zoo

At the NC Zoo... These chimps were hanging out right next to the glass. The closest one was more entertained by us that we were of him, I think.

16 Hours at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport

Yes, 16 hours in a Cleveland airport last Monday is the story of the moment.

I had a flight out at 8AM, but volunteered (mistake) to take a $400 travel voucher to step aside because of over-booking. I was then booked on a 4PM flight and was also given a stand-by ticket for the 11AM flight. 11AM was also over-booked, so I waited for the 4PM flight for which I had a confirmed ticket.

You see where this is going, right?

Boarding for the 4PM flight finally starts. I wait in line and give the lady my ticket and gratefully start walking down the tunnel. Suddenly, as I'm half-way down the ramp to the jet, I get hailed back because I was apparently not booked for the flight. I tried to explain to them the situation earlier and they said they would get a supervisor for me to speak with, and the lady disappears. In the meantime, my plane backs out and goes off to taxi... long gone. THEN the supervisor comes to assist me. I ask him why I have a ticket yet I am still standing here while my plane is half-way across Ohio. After a bit of ticking through computer files, he says that it was a computer error... my stand-by ticket overrode my booked ticket and it booted me off the flight. Nice.

I received another $200 in travel vouchers and a couple dinner vouchers for my trouble, and also assure me that I will be on the next flight, 7PM, but it is delayed at the moment. I go to the Customer Service counter to collect my travel voucher and ask her what the status was for the 7PM flight as I heard that it was 'delayed'... Oh, it will be departing at 9.40PM!!! At this time I am near weeping openly. 9.40 comes and goes. Cleveland happens to get hit by a severe thunderstorm and grounds all flights for hours.

I didn't board my "7PM" flight untill 11.15PM, gettingme to Raleigh at a cool 1AM, meaning I was home and in bed by quarter of two. 16 hours in an airport... Lame.

Even though I walked away with $600 of travel vouchers, I wish I had never given up my seat that morning. Lesson learned.

Which one is the chimp?

On Saturday, the four of us took an impulsive trip to the NC Zoo in Ashboro, North Carolina. It was about an hour and a half drive, but definately worth it. I have a bunch of other great shots that hopefully I'll post later. It was a hot day, so the animals were obviously pretty lethargic, although the chimps where this photo was taken seemed to be more entertained by us as he sat next to the glass watching all of us. Hope we get to go back again soon.

Dave & Doug or Taylor & Jude???

Mom just gave me this picture from Dave's graduation back in '77.
It looks more like a picture of Taylor and Jude than me and Dave!

Coming Around to Hockey

Hi, my name is Doug, [ Hi, Doug... ] and I'm a hockey convert.

- gasp -

Maybe it's just because we just moved to Raleigh and the town is in the throws of a Stanley Cup Chamionship, but I have become a follower and even watched (gasp again) a whole game the other night.

I have always somewhat respected the game, even going to a few minor league games (The Lumberjacks) when we lived in Cleveland (I even caught a puck in the stands) but never had a good grasp of the rules and just never embraced it. Honestly, when last season was cancelled altogether because of labor disputes, I couldn't have cared less and was even a bit glad of it.

BUT... since we moved here last October, we have seen the Hurricanes have an amazing season, leading them to a strong playoff spot. Hockey may not be what comes to mind when you think of Raleigh, North Carolina, but it is huge here. When I watched the second game of the Stanley Cup Finals the other night, the Canes were already ahead one game to none, which they won in the last seconds of the game 5-4. They ended up winning that second game 5-0!

I can't tell you exactlty what it is that brought be around to being an involved fan, and maybe if the Canes were having a flat year things may be different, but as it is I love it and in the meantime I hope to figure out what "Icing" is...

Go Canes!

Throwback to '73

I was just thinking about my sister Angie and wanted to throw out an old-school picture of her.

That's me (Doug) with my sister Angie and my brother Ralph when I was just a few months old. They are my godparents, so it's a good guess that this picture was taken the day of my baptism.

Looking good, guys!

Taylor & Doug

Just a picture I really liked from a few years back (October of '04) when Dave & Tari came to visit while we were still living in Virginia Beach.

This is my nephew Taylor and I on the beach.