What I did over my summer vacation
Well, we're a week into October now, so from both a calendar and weather standpoint, summer has all but faded into a dim memory. So, I figured I'd write down what we did over our summer vacation, and bore you with a few pictures as well.
I guess I'll start off by saying that we didn't really do much. Neither Grace nor I are big into traveling, and this summer reflected that pretty well.
Aside from getting married, the first major activity of the summer was Hot Rod weekend in Ocean City Maryland. I had heard about Hot Rod weekend from friends and online message boards, but nothing could really prepare me for the craziness that was the actual event. The entire town of Ocean City Maryland was saturated with cars. Cool cars. Old cars. Fast cars. Ocean Highway was a 6 lane parking lot for the majority of its length. Here's what I mean:
This was car bliss. Nirvana. Even with the absurd amount of cool cars around, the Viper still managed to draw its share of attention; more than once, when we'd leave it somewhere and come back to it, there was a crowd of people standing around it taking pictures. We were fortunate enough to have the lovely accommodations provided by Craig and Jeanne Kozlowski, which were absolutely perfect because it had a private driveway, and was far enough off the main drag that the road noise didn't travel back that far. Very memorable weekend.
Grace managed to squeeze in a trip to Punta Cana with her girlfriends over her birthday, where she acquired a taste for Moet champagne. Ah well, at least Moet isn't too expensive.... oh, wait, yes it is, when purchased at hotel restaurant prices!!! But hey, when it's your birthday, you can splurge a little:
Keeping that mentality, to cement my status as best new husband ever, I sent a big-ass thing of roses to Grace's room on her birthday. I probably got extra points because all her friends were there to see them, cause ya know, that sort of thing counts with chicks.
The only other time we ventured away from home for longer than one night was for the annual family Ocean City Maryland trip, which ended up being somewhat anti-climactic because several whole chunks of my family were missing. However, despite only being there for four days, we managed to get in all the requisite mini-golf, boardwalk, and even a few minutes out on the sand.
Grace got even more heavily into her cake hobby over the summer, and turned out several very impressive pieces. Check them out at her website, www.CakesByGrace.com.
The major defining characteristic of Summer of 2004, however, was poker. The game of poker had enjoyed a huge surge in popularity the previous year, and we were right on top of the trend, playing at least twice a week in various venues. I love poker because it's not only fun, but it's a great excuse to get a group of friends together on a weeknight. The trend has shown no signs of dying down yet, so I look forward to more good times around the poker table.
On a sad note, this summer marked the passing of my beloved 1995 Dodge Stratus. The past few years hadn't been easy ones for the Stratus, with its air conditioning failing, front suspension falling apart, and the punishment that is driving on City Line Avenue every day. However it kept its head up until about August, when the transmission started acting up, a death knell if there ever was one. So despite having sunk about $900 into repairs over the summer, the Stratus went the way of the dodo, and was replaced by a 2001 Nissan Maxima.
I guess that just goes to show that things can't last forever... kinda like this post is seeming to... so I'm going to go now. Till next time.
I guess I'll start off by saying that we didn't really do much. Neither Grace nor I are big into traveling, and this summer reflected that pretty well.
Aside from getting married, the first major activity of the summer was Hot Rod weekend in Ocean City Maryland. I had heard about Hot Rod weekend from friends and online message boards, but nothing could really prepare me for the craziness that was the actual event. The entire town of Ocean City Maryland was saturated with cars. Cool cars. Old cars. Fast cars. Ocean Highway was a 6 lane parking lot for the majority of its length. Here's what I mean:
This was car bliss. Nirvana. Even with the absurd amount of cool cars around, the Viper still managed to draw its share of attention; more than once, when we'd leave it somewhere and come back to it, there was a crowd of people standing around it taking pictures. We were fortunate enough to have the lovely accommodations provided by Craig and Jeanne Kozlowski, which were absolutely perfect because it had a private driveway, and was far enough off the main drag that the road noise didn't travel back that far. Very memorable weekend.
Grace managed to squeeze in a trip to Punta Cana with her girlfriends over her birthday, where she acquired a taste for Moet champagne. Ah well, at least Moet isn't too expensive.... oh, wait, yes it is, when purchased at hotel restaurant prices!!! But hey, when it's your birthday, you can splurge a little:
Keeping that mentality, to cement my status as best new husband ever, I sent a big-ass thing of roses to Grace's room on her birthday. I probably got extra points because all her friends were there to see them, cause ya know, that sort of thing counts with chicks.
The only other time we ventured away from home for longer than one night was for the annual family Ocean City Maryland trip, which ended up being somewhat anti-climactic because several whole chunks of my family were missing. However, despite only being there for four days, we managed to get in all the requisite mini-golf, boardwalk, and even a few minutes out on the sand.
Grace got even more heavily into her cake hobby over the summer, and turned out several very impressive pieces. Check them out at her website, www.CakesByGrace.com.
The major defining characteristic of Summer of 2004, however, was poker. The game of poker had enjoyed a huge surge in popularity the previous year, and we were right on top of the trend, playing at least twice a week in various venues. I love poker because it's not only fun, but it's a great excuse to get a group of friends together on a weeknight. The trend has shown no signs of dying down yet, so I look forward to more good times around the poker table.
On a sad note, this summer marked the passing of my beloved 1995 Dodge Stratus. The past few years hadn't been easy ones for the Stratus, with its air conditioning failing, front suspension falling apart, and the punishment that is driving on City Line Avenue every day. However it kept its head up until about August, when the transmission started acting up, a death knell if there ever was one. So despite having sunk about $900 into repairs over the summer, the Stratus went the way of the dodo, and was replaced by a 2001 Nissan Maxima.
I guess that just goes to show that things can't last forever... kinda like this post is seeming to... so I'm going to go now. Till next time.
posted by Matt at 4:42 PM
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