Happy Mardi Gras

I may have mentioned this, but I didn't realize it was Mardi Gras when I began planning this trip. I was focused on it being my mom's birthday this week and that Daytona Beach was the following week, so Mardi Gras was a surprise. Given my aversion to crowded places, I didn't partake in the usual Mardi Gras activities like the parades, but it was nice to gather a small crowd at Wings and have our own little Mardi Gras get together. That's what we did last night.

The usual suspects were there along with a couple of new faces to catch up with. But, before I get too far and forget, here's the joke of the night from Steve: I got a tattoo that says "OK". If I get excited it says, "OKLAHOMA". If I get really, really excited it says, "VISIT OKLAHOMA CITY".

Renee will be thrilled to know that I had just explained to someone that she grew up in Oklahoma when Steve entertained us with that jewel. The best part is that sweet, innocent Kim actually got the joke.

We had another good night of catching up, reminiscing, and laughing a lot. I'll post the pictures in a future blog, but I haven't had time to offload them from the camera yet.

I had lunch with Randy in Orange Beach and got a chance to see him and find out what he's been up to. He was doing well and has a son that's 20 and a daughter who's 13. He's gearing up for those teenage daughter years I've heard stories about. I had all boys, so we avoided the teenage daughter stint. Randy agreed to a picture, but by the time I got the camera out and ready to go, several of his co-workers were in the parking lot. I couldn't possibly ask Randy to pose out in the parking lot with is co-workers looking on. He'd never hear the end of that, so I just put the camera away and we agreed the picture would have to wait until some other time. Still, it was good to see him. I'm happy to report he is alive and well in south Baldwin County.

I spent yesterday morning trying to get some work done on a couple of proposals we are doing. Starbucks came through with the highspeed Internet access, so I was much more productive there. Unfortunately, I need to get back to help get them completed, so the run to Daytona is out. I'm busy plotting a route back to Virginia that can avoid interstates, but still get me there in a couple of days. It looks like rain is likely on Friday, so that'll make that day a fun ride. I'll worry about that on Friday though.

After lunch with Randy, I took a ride through Baldwin County on my way to Mobile. If you've ever driven in south Baldwin County you know the county roads basically run north-south and east-west. So, it's practically impossible to get lost. If you have a general idea of which way you want to go, you can simply make a turn here and there and bodda, bing, bodda, boom, you're there.

I arrived in Mobile early so took advantage of the Hooters wifi to get some more work done. We got one proposal ready for submission and I made some progress on the second one. Not enough to allow me to go to Daytona, but some. I knocked out a couple of more items this morning. Unfortunately, I won't be able to work on it at all tomorrow or Friday since I'll be riding. Next week will be very busy.

I'm going to visit Blakeley State Park this afternoon. It's the site of the last major battle of the civil war, so I'm going to get some pictures and further my education (see kids, Uncle Chuck can have fun and be educational all at once). I'll try to get the pictures and a better blog posted tonight. Until then...