Just wanted to share with y'all something I recently heard.
"A lack of planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on my part."
So true, isn't it?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
A Side Trip
I had the opportunity to make a side trip to Newport, R.I. yesterday while in the state that is neither a Road nor an Island. One of my co-workers, Nancy had been there before and wanted to visit again. Making a promise to myself that I would start seeing more of the places I go for work, I was game. One of the attractions in Newport are the various mansions that the wealthy families of the early 1900's used as summer homes. All of the mansions are now run by The Preservation Society of Newport County. So along with our other co-worker Bryant, we got on the bus and headed to the picturesque town of Newport
Nancy had been to the summer home of the Vanderbilt family, The Breakers a few years ago and said it was the best one to visit. The town itself is beautiful. Cobblestone streets, quaint shops, and gorgeous scenery make it a true New England town. Once we started to make our way toward our destination, other breathtaking mansions came into view. It was amazing that the wealthy and elite of the past used to vacation here for only a few months out of the year. The homes were very large and had such intricate architecture. After about ten minutes, we arrived at our stop.
We had already purchased our tickets for the hour tour so we headed for the entrance and waited for our guide. Once inside, we found ourselves in a home that was almost 140,000 square feet. I couldn't believe that the Vanderbilt family only lived in it for two months out of the year. My mouth dropped when I heard this. They had entire rooms that had been shipped from France. They would purchase the room, have is disassembled and shipped to America where it was then assembled again inside The Breakers. The grandeur of the place is indescribable. We weren't permitted to take pictures inside so you'll just have to take my word for it. The family even had a children's playhouse for their kids that was bigger than the house I grew up in.
After our tour we got to stroll around the grounds a bit. The backyard was immense and stretched all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
All in all, it was a great day. I'll leave you with a couple more pictures and a recommendation to visit this and the other mansions if ever you find yourself in this part of the country.
Nancy had been to the summer home of the Vanderbilt family, The Breakers a few years ago and said it was the best one to visit. The town itself is beautiful. Cobblestone streets, quaint shops, and gorgeous scenery make it a true New England town. Once we started to make our way toward our destination, other breathtaking mansions came into view. It was amazing that the wealthy and elite of the past used to vacation here for only a few months out of the year. The homes were very large and had such intricate architecture. After about ten minutes, we arrived at our stop.
We had already purchased our tickets for the hour tour so we headed for the entrance and waited for our guide. Once inside, we found ourselves in a home that was almost 140,000 square feet. I couldn't believe that the Vanderbilt family only lived in it for two months out of the year. My mouth dropped when I heard this. They had entire rooms that had been shipped from France. They would purchase the room, have is disassembled and shipped to America where it was then assembled again inside The Breakers. The grandeur of the place is indescribable. We weren't permitted to take pictures inside so you'll just have to take my word for it. The family even had a children's playhouse for their kids that was bigger than the house I grew up in.
After our tour we got to stroll around the grounds a bit. The backyard was immense and stretched all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
All in all, it was a great day. I'll leave you with a couple more pictures and a recommendation to visit this and the other mansions if ever you find yourself in this part of the country.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Day Of Our Lives
A clear blue sky. Just the right temperature. Plenty of scenery to look at. All of this makes for a great bike ride along the lake. Riding my bike always gives me plenty of time to think and reflect on anything that may be on my mind. Today, however, there wasn't anything I wanted to mull over, which was fine with me. I set my mind to a nice long bike ride and that's what I was going to do. That's exactly what I did. It was pure heaven...almost.
The entire way there people of all shapes and size running. In particular there was a group of guys that were running full stride, not missing a beat. I immediately thought back to the days that I used to run like that. Before smoking, drinking, and laziness...before Life. I took a minute to reflect on when I used to run like that. I would feel so liberated, so relaxed. I looked forward to my runs.
Not one to live in the past, I moved on and kept cycling. Kaiser Chiefs were blaring in my ear and I had a lot of biking left to do. I told myself, you may not be running like that anymore but you're out here doing something, which is better than nothing.
The entire way there people of all shapes and size running. In particular there was a group of guys that were running full stride, not missing a beat. I immediately thought back to the days that I used to run like that. Before smoking, drinking, and laziness...before Life. I took a minute to reflect on when I used to run like that. I would feel so liberated, so relaxed. I looked forward to my runs.
Not one to live in the past, I moved on and kept cycling. Kaiser Chiefs were blaring in my ear and I had a lot of biking left to do. I told myself, you may not be running like that anymore but you're out here doing something, which is better than nothing.
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