Spooooktacular!

Happy Halloween...a bit early!


Dina makes friends with the mummy...

While I find my own reaper...

Suddenly, the mummy is "Petra"fied!!!

Ever heard of Fortunoff?

Fortunoff is a department store. Kind of similar to Macy's, without apparel or cosmetics.
I was there to help with a new program, and thought I would share a little.
They have 21 stores in the greater NY/CT/NJ area, including one on 5th Avenue.
They mainly focus on jewelry, furniture, and housewares...but their service is superb and their selection is like none other!
You can also see them at www.fortunoff.com.

That is my commercial for the day!



Store in Westbury, New York (Long Island)

Members of our team. Hans, Rob, and in the background - Jeremy, Ann, and Sandra.

The first associate to process a new card application!

The Christmas shop in White Plains. Spectacular! Complete with Lionel train displays.

Definition of Dina

Some of you are asking, "Who is this Dina person anyway?"
Dina is the senior manager at my company who I have been working with. She and I traveled together all last week in New York and the vicinity (Connecticut, Long Island, Westchester, etc.)
She is a cool gal and a great traveling partner. I get along with most anybody, but having a good traveling companion can sometimes be a challenge. She and Ed (Noah's dad!) are both great people in my work world and on the road!

As we traversed the Connecticut area...we happened upon a little place that stole our hearts!
Everything about this place was just like Dina. The font of the sign, the way there was an exclamation point, the color.
The location and set-up were priceless.
It's amazing when you find something that resembles you...personally, I think she should bid on the place!
Gourmet cooking, wine tasting, dairy down the street...;) Here we come!

This is a shot of Dina and her future!

A rainy day in Connecticut - For Dina

Grey days give me the blahs, no matter where they are.
I like the rain, don't get me wrong, but grey, rainy days are very depressing when they last all day!

However...this was a special rainy day.
This post is for Dina. Always good to get another perspective on life.
She loves rainy days as much as she loves clam chowder.
She also loves the east coast like I do, so since it was all her favorites in one place, she asked me to snap a few shots.
This was the best I could do in trying to capture a rainy drive through the CT countryside!

I know it's not the greatest, but you get the drift (or the drops!).

Heading down Rt. 7 out of Norwalk.

Thought this was cool how it captured the drops and the colors of the trees all at once.

Just a little Connecticut cottage. Notice Dina's elbow is in it's dreamy state as she drives.

The ridge of color as we approached our destination in Danbury.

Adventure on the road...My Stew Leonard's Experience

While we were in Connecticut, Dina and I made a stop to see what the big deal was with the cows and the dairy signs and the crowded parking lot. As it turns out, Stew Leonard's is a grocery store where everything is fresh and just really fun to buy. And such a huge variety! I bought some fresh lobster bisque to bring home.

Plus, Ian loves cows so I thought I would snap a few photos for him.

This one was just hanging around the parking lot.

I thought this was cool - they were actually packaging the fresh milk, right there in front of us!

The manager came by and asked the nice milk man to stop and smile while I took another picture.

This one had bad cow disease. I mean, really. Dina and I approached her to take a picture with her. She shook her head and kept on walking. I thought she was joking - then the guy working in the dairy aisle told her we were trying to get our picture taken. She shook her head at him and kept cruising! Giving the benefit of the doubt, I thought maybe she needed an udder break - but in a minute I spied her getting all mooey over this mom and baby! Bad, bad cow disease she had. Hmmmm.

Stew's, continued.

I guess what I think is funniest - is that I would probably never stop somewhere like this in Ohio. I mean, come on - cows? Fresh farmer market environment? Being shunned by a cow character?

But, because it is in Connecticut - it is cool. :)

3rd time the charm?

Yep, one would think so. Couldn't be 3 weeks in a row that this would continue! (Of course, referencing previous 2 posts).

Well...got into JFK just fine on Tuesday, after warning the entire group I was traveling with about the bad news flying into and out of JFK airport. Wouldn't you know, we got there just fine, no delays and no problems. I was very glad to be wrong. I was even so happy to see we were landing on time with no problems - I took this cool shot -

Coming home was quite another story, however, and not a good one. This time, I wasn't forced to sit on the tarmac. Nope. Got on the plane a few hours late - knew I was going to miss my connection - but didn't really care. When the pilot gets on and says "Folks, please strap down all your personal items and prepare for a bumpy ride," you know it's not necessarily going to be a lot of fun.

I arrived at the airport at about 4:40 for my 5:55 flight. Left NY at 8:30 - still not as bad as the JFK experiences - arrived Cincinnati about 30 minutes later than the last connection to Columbus. So...how did I get home? Another 2:00 am arrival!

Let's see if we can make the 4th visit in as many weeks a little less eventful? One more time NYC, I will try for another round this week.

Eye Candy for the Soul

What a great weekend of weather! That deep blue sky - so rarely seen in Ohio and yet so coveted - was here for 48 hours of enjoyment. The sun's brilliant rays lit up the blue sky and everything in color was so radiant, so diamond-like in effect. Though difficult to capture with the camera, it was just so beautiful I wanted to share. After a hectic week, it was a welcome repose. Eye candy for the soul is exactly what came to mind. May it continue and keep winter at bay as long as possible...

Can't get enough!

Just something about the way the deep blue sky contrasts with the green leaves, on the verge of changing into fall's color pallette...

I wish the weather was like this all year long!

The day continues...

Fun in the sun with close friends...

Telling all your secrets over chex mix...

A little backyard football with a good buddy...

So glad this wasn't a Charlie Brown scene!

Out of my window...PART TWO

Could this be dejavu??

Two weeks after the last trip to JFK...
4:30 pm flight...
Boarded at 7:00 pm...
Sat on the runway...
and sat...
and sat...
and sat...
Talked with Bill, Melissa, Susan, Dina.
Read chapters.
And more chapters.
Ate snacks.
Went to the restroom.
and sat...
and sat...
and sat...
UNTIL MIDNIGHT and then we TOOK OFF.
I arrived home at 3:00 am.

DELTA = Don't Ever Leave The Airport!

View of a 747 sitting in line waiting to take off. I think their seats were more comfortable!

This is like the plane I was sitting on. Those people had their lights off. They must have been snoozing! Smart folks.

Can someone please explain why there is so much traffic on the airport runways? No, really - traffic! I have never seen so many cars near a line of planes! I guess that should have been my solid sign that really, we weren't taking off any time soon!

New York...on the Long Island 10-8-07

As much as I love NYC, I have recently been traveling to Long Island and staying in Uniondale.
They have been very quick trips with more time to spare getting to know airports than finding fun things in a city.
This last trip, a friend of mine in the city asked where I was staying. When I answered, he mentioned that I must be near the coliseum.
I decided to open the curtains and look for myself!

There is a coliseum alright!

Ah, look! Home of the NY Islanders and NY Dragons! Some veterans are involoved also!

While a far cry from cityscape, this building does have me intrigued. I like the effect of the "pane".

Looks like fall is just beginning to color the landscape. Since this is farther north than Ohio, I
thought it would come earlier. I am glad to see that it is just starting. I prefer green, full leaves!

Roses are for sharing

After a hot, dry summer, it seemed my roses had taken a beating. Last year they were so gorgeous and bountiful, I figured they deserved a break this year.

To my amazement, a little late August pruning produced some incredible color and beauty! I just wanted to share these with you.
Everyone who has stopped at my house asks me who sent me the roses!
This will be our little secret. :)

PS - My mom transplanted these from our house in Granville when I moved in here, 9 years ago this month!
Thanks mom!