Business Travel and getting to see a little more of the USA

Over the past two weeks I had to take business trips to Memphis TN, Nashville TN and then out to Portland Maine on the East Coast. Needless to say that once work was done for the day I took the opportunity in the evenings to visit some of the legendary areas of the towns I was visiting and had a great time, each town with its own character and vibe.

First stop was Memphis Tennessee, home of Rock N Roll and the legendary Elvis, I got to go to the Graceland Mansion and then to some of the famous land marks down town, like the original Sun Records studio, Beale street and the Peabody hotel. Memphis is known for its BBQ and there is no dispute that they may great BBQ ribs. I had a full rack of ribs down in Beale street and they were fantastic fall off the bone ribs. I got to walk Beale street and listen to live bands playing in each pub with a lot of the bars playing classic blues music which was a treat.

Then it was off to Nashville Tennessee home town of Country music. In the evening I headed down Broadway Nashville and stopped in to several of the bars each with a different artist playing country. I settled in at the bar at a place called Rippy's and got to listen to some chilled country whilst enjoying a local beer. When all the business was said and done at the end of the week we had to wait 8 hours for the next flight home and so we decided to get a round of golf in at the The Hermitage Country Club. With rented Ping clubs and a dozen Pinnacle golf balls I managed to shoot a 76 first time out on the course. Then it was off to the airport and a short flight home.

The following week I was headed out to Portland Maine and flew from Columbus to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and then onto Portland Maine. The east coast has so much character and reminds me of European fishing towns. I went into the famous LL Bean stores out there too and got some gear ahead of the winter settling in for 2011. The flight home was delayed and very bumpy from Portland to Washington DC and then back to columbus OH.

The trips were exciting to venture to new destinations but it is always great to come back home and sleep in your own bed.

Next trip is destined to be Iowa and need to get this one completed before the winter snow sets in as the plant I am going to visit out there is really in the middle of nowhere.

Fall Has Arrived

A Mystery of colors every where you look, this has to be the best time of the year.

 The weather has been fantastic with sunshine blue skies and breath taking scenery, what more can you ask for.

 The collage of colors at every corner you turn, the drive to work each day has been amazing to watch as the leaves change to deeper shades of red, orange and bright yellow.

 Some more pics from around the neighborhood.

We spent a lot of time cleaning up the yard and trimming all the trees and shrubs on Saturday , so the garden is ready now for the winter.

The back yard looks great with the grass in good condition, takes about 1.5 hrs to finish mowing this area, but the end result is worth the effort.

And last but not least we have Lesleigh playing with the garbage bags ,  no we just need to cut some holes for the eyes and mouth and we will be ready for the halloween party.

Anniversary in Mexico

As the fall sets in and temps drop here in Columbus Ohio, it is also our anniversary and to celebrate we decided to take a trip down to Cancun Mexico, about 6 hours flight to some of the best beaches, fantastic weather and just a great opportunity to unwind and enjoy some of life's finer pleasures. We booked into a hotel called Dream's which is on the peninsula of the bay in Cancun. It was an all inclusive resort and you can eat all you want and order drinks all day from the bar with no charge for the entire stay. I highly recommend this option and further state that they make a loss on individuals like me. Happy hour starts at 11 on the beach and ends when you go to bed. The food was great and fresh fish is hard to beat as one of the better choices in food. I got to play hours of beach volley ball, played tennis against the local pro, swam at least 3 to 4 times a day and read my book whilst tanning in between. How bad can life be? We were grateful for the great weather, safe travels and another fantastic visit to Mexico, WE LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

 The room from our balcony at the Dreams hotel, it has a dolphin pool directly below the rooms and they  host opportunities for people to swim with the Dolphins everyday. Quite a thrill to watch these mammals play even after the sun sets in the evening.

 This was a private beach where we got to swim, sun tan and just chill on the lilo each day. The water was crystal clear .

 on the right of the beach was the light house to the bay and the whole view from the beach was breath taking.

 this is the view from the lighthouse looking back at our private beach for the weekend.

 Looking like I just had my first Margarita but many more to follow.

 Lesleigh and I before the early morning swim.

 The water colors changed throughout the day and the colors became more dramatic as the day progressed or was it the Margarita changing my perspectives?

 Three course meals 3 times a day, cant be good for you but I will try my best to disprove that theory.

 The front side of the resort faces the open sea and behind me you can see just how gorgeous the water was.

 Taking in a bit of sun is always a sign of good healthy skin, you might say that I may have been greedy with the sun on this day.

 Lesleigh attends her first Scuba diving class and then she got to go out to a reef for her first scuba dive.

 A natural with the dive gear and she loved it, so no guessing what we will be doing on our next beach holiday!

Summer In Columbus OH

Well summer is in full swing and the temperatures have held out at a very muggy 35 degrees C this past two weeks. I am enjoying the summer for what it is and take every chance I get to get outdoors before the season ends.  I played in the local golf club of dublin club championship and won my division with a touch of luck and an 11 shot swing in scores for the better between day 1 and 2. I got lucky and managed to hit a drive onto a green from the tee on the par 4 12th which nearly dropped for a hole in one and would have been a great albatross, but it was not to be this time around and I had to settle for the eagle.

Wednesday evening's have been great fun and I have played in a mixed double league for the first time in many years. My partner and I have won all but one match this season and our team finished in second place overall, which was a fantastic result. Even got to play some of my matches on clay which has been a while but always a treat.

Saturday's is our mens double league and we have had a great run this season with only 1 set lost and so far we are continuing to extend the lead we have after the first half of the summer season. In the heat the game has been a lot more challenging and the standard of tennis is high so you are always guaranteed a great match. The season is now finishing up and our team is in first place which means over the next few weeks we will have the quarter finals and then semi finals and if we really play well maybe even a finals match. Cant wait.

Lesleigh's folks came over to visit and spent 5 great weeks here in the USA, given the chance I think they would move to the USA in a heartbeat.

I got to experience NASCAR in style and was lucky enough not only to watch the race but to do so from the pit lane, go into the drivers trailer and meet the driver and pit crew ahead of the race. They drive the car at 6 inches out from the wall on the track at speeds I never thought possible and what a noise in the stadium. The atmosphere was great and a must do experience at least once in a lifetime.

The activity gets even better I was lucky enough to go over the pond to London UK to visit my mates Carl and Mark. The weather was great and I am told I saw all four days of the UK summer so no complaints on my side. On the flight home I got a business class ticket upgrade, thanks to Lesleigh and enjoyed a comfortable flight home in the luxury that the other half live in.

 The car our brand Ortho sponsored at the NASCAR Brickyard 400 in 2011. Photo taken in the garages ahead of the race.

 Les in picture walking through the car inspection areas ahead of the race.

 Shock absorbers neatly stacked in a cupboard in the drivers trailer, worth a few pennies!

 In the inside of the trailer is a compact area where the team stores a backup car for every driver. Amazing to see.

 Racing tyre in the pits getting prepped for the race lane.

 Cars check in to their poll positions

 Les and I at the finish line to the World Famous Brick Yard 400 Finish post on the main track.

 A front shot of our sponsored car going into the inspection lane.

 Bottom up view of the race tower on the main track.

 And the race begins with loads of roaring engines and the crowd on their feet.

 Nothing quite like a braai in the UK, a fantastic treat and great to catch up with good mates.

We took a trip out to the Lyttelton castle for the day with Mark Greta and the kids.

 Daniel and Dad take to the obstacle course.

 Gargoyles protected the castle and looked somewhat fierce, back then I suppose it may have done the trick.

 Back at Home sweet home and a picture of the back side of the house.

 Another view from across the lawn, takes me about 1.5 hrs to mow this yard each week, and I am not slow at the job either.

 Photo's of the drive and garage

Photo of the front yard at our new home.

Looking at temperatures in SA it looks cold for week or two so to all our family and friends wrap up warm, enjoy the hot chocolate and remember it only lasts for two months.