A Lazy (and jet-lagged) Holiday Weekend

I arrived back home in Piney Point on Saturday night with a bit of a problem.  I generally rent a car one-way to the airport, but when I left on this last trip, neither Hertz or Avis had any cars available.  So I checked the oil in my Mazda truck and headed to the Dulles economy parking lot without incident.

When I arrived back on Saturday I found the truck without any trouble and even prepaid my parking fee right at the terminal.  It started first time.  Yet when I put it in reverse, it would not budge!  I checked the parking brake, which I instinctively release, and it was indeed off.

I put the truck in 1st gear and same thing - the clutch engaged and the truck wanted to move forward, but the wheels or drivetrain were locked.  I looked around the truck to see if there was something obstructing movement and there was not. Hmmm, my Mazda never let me down before, short of a dead battery.  This was odd, but the poor truck had been sitting in the driveway for the last two years with only a short drive each time I returned home.

Given the "Blue Lot" is a hop away from the Avis rental car lot and I was dead tired from the trip, I called the preferred number and rented a car for the two hour trip home.  So today I'll call the Mazda dealer and see if they have a clue as to what the problem is. 

I had a hunch about this and renewed my AAA Membership to a premium level before I left - which means they will tow the truck up to 100 miles without a fee. 

But how do you move a truck from a tight parking spot when the wheels are locked? That's the mystery I'll work to solve today and then work on recovering the truck tomorrow (thunderstorms are in the forecast all day here). 

Well, as I always say, relative to all the horrors and despair in the world, this is no big deal.  I just hope it doesn't cost a small fortune to remedy.  Oh, the horses and cattle I see daily on my drive on Piney Point Road.  The white horse took a real liking to me - all the others were just annoyed by my presence.

May 24, 2008

Rotterdam - City of Water - Everywhere!

A schedule delay is sending me home early, but perhaps back next in a week or so - so my planned weekend to Amsterdam will have to be postponed.  I'm in the Air France Lounge at the Paris Airport.  When will I get to see Paris and Amsterdam, beyond the airport lounge?  Oh, I forget; I'm here on business.  I'm disappointed, but a week home is nothing to complain about.

May 15, 2008

The Road to Rotterdam

We left Den Haag in a (very) mini-caravan with my Nuvi GPS leading the way to Papendrecht via Rotterdam rush hour traffic.  It was a breeze - how did we ever exist before Global Positioning Satellites?

The day was ripe with challenges and by late afternoon we were thinking the trip was wasted, but a later call to a coworker in Italy and access to our network back at the hotel saved the day.  It seems without access to our network we are like superman exposed to Kryptonite - well perhaps not that extreme, but one wonders how humanity coped before the internet (perhaps with far less stress anyway).

 After we did all we could do without the information we sorely needed, the trip from Papendrecht back-tracking to Rotterdam seemed to go well until the Nuvi dead-ended us near the reconstruction of the central train station, but recalculated the route without too much trouble.  I kick myself whenever I allow myself into such circumstances, as in the past I always took the time to know where I was going in advance.

My coworker was staying at the Westin, so I got her there first, with me at the Hilton only a few blocks away.  Arriving to either of these hotels by car is a challenge, at least the first time, because there is no apparent place to park, even to check in.  We improvised, parking on the sidewalk for a time!

So now finally checked in, relaxed, connected and unpacked for a week, I am enjoying a grilled mushroom salad and mixed grilled seafood and fish (seems a good choice here).  From my room, the executive lounge and the ground level restaurant, I have different perspectives of a famous Rotterdam fountain, one that flows with beer on special occasions, so we were told.

There is no time for any pictures yet, as work takes priority, as it should.  But it looks like I will have the weekend free.  So, will I explore Rotterdam or head to the big apple of Amsterdam?  I can't say at this time, as work may flow into the weekend.  Stay tuned!

May 14, 2008

Den Haag

Windows are such a treat in Den Haag - from the simple to the unreal

   Even though I flew into Amsterdam and will be working in Papendrecht and staying in Rotterdam, tonight I am in Den Haag, or The Hague as we Americans call it.  Why, I guess all the good hotels were booked in Rotterdam, and Amsterdam is too far of a drive.  But I am happy that I was able to spend two nights in Den Haag.

   As a child I was aware of The Hague as a place in Holland (when did it become "The Netherlands?") and over the years I came to realize it was one of those international cities like Geneva or Brussels.  But why such a strange name for a city?  Hmm, on the local map it's called 's-Gravenhage - go figure.  But what amazed me, in spite of its worldwide fame, it is a small city, about the size of Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Therefore very likeable as well.

Den Haag's main square - the picture does not do justice as hundreds were enjoying food & drink and it all looked pretty good!

   It's really a squeaky-clean city and beautiful, but I'm glad I'm here in late spring instead of mid-winter. Driving here is a joy compared to Italy, but one must be on constant alert for all those bicyclists and the endless entwined trolley car system that seems to run everywhere, intersecting, merging and running on the roads.  Basically there are neatly categorized roads, rails, bike paths, pedestrian walks, in an order that I can't quite figure out.  Fortunately drivers here have a bit more patience than in Italy as well.  I could live here!

Den Haag's skyline - pretty much it - the central rail station is to the right, with thousands of bikes in the "parking lot."

   The city has a small port of mostly fishing and sailing vessels, stately mansions, neat classical apartment dwellings, where about everyone has a pleasing window display. Everyone speaks English and everyone is so darn nice. A beautiful young woman stopped me and ask why I was taking a picture of Den Haag's small, but impressive skyline. "Because it's there" I responded. "Of course," she smiled and rode off on her bike in a pair of ruby red high heels. I could live here - oh, I said that already!

Den Haag's main beach - alive and well on the North Sea!

These trolleys are everywhere in Den Haag and a driver must be on constant alert to avoid them, and the bikes!

   So tomorrow Rotterdam and, if time allows, Amsterdam on the weekend.  I read they are closing down the Red Light District due to the infiltration from Eastern European crime gangs.  I may break the unwritten rules and take a few photos - just for historical purposes of course.  Who knows what else I may do?

May 11, 2008

A Raging Potomac

I'm home in Piney Point, Maryland, for a short three days.  Tonight, I get an automated called to watch for high tides and flood warnings.  10:10 PM I decide to check it out and walk out onto the pier. The high tide and surf is raging enough to make California proud (well almost).  I turn back 1/4 way out to the end of the pier - middle-aged common sense dictates.  Wow!

Tomorrow I have to catch a red-eye flight to Paris and on to Amsterdam.  I wish there was time to do justice to the Blog.  Wow - what weather, but nothing compared to the suffering in the Midwest and the horrors of Burma - now reporting 102,000 dead.  We can't imagine!  Life just goes on, for most anyway.

I still have dozens of photos of Roma I wish to post, and perhaps some of the (soon to be gone) red light district of Amsterdam.

May 5, 2008

Roma (briefly) Revisited

This is the time to visit the city, for those that find the unbearable heat of the summer, ah, unbearable.  Roma is really quite small, and should be shared with someone you love.  This time around I could not, but my cameras and I made the best of it.

Given I am here to work, you will just have to wait a day or two for a few more photos - I took hundreds and got a sunburn to boot, as I did not know how to say "sun screen" in Italian.  I will post more for sure.

Current Blog     Last Month    Archives    C-B-D    Email Carbonboy    Top of Page

© 2008 Michael Milauskas - Composites-By-Design Corporation