Wanted Down There?

Oh Mexico, my favorite place to visit right next to Purgatory and maybe even Hades  itself.  If you have not read the previous post, please do to set up this story.  John and I arrived in El Paso Texas without a hitch.  The plane ride was good, even though it was foggy in Dallas and a little dicey with low cloud cover.  The only problem is the plans of  "Mice and Men" were not as settled as I would have like before our trip started.  I emailed my Purchasing Manager named Jerry for us non speaking "Americans", on Friday to confirm, and he said " I don't have anyone to pick you up at the border but I'm trying to get Karla to do this."  Karla is the newer Quality Control Manager at the plant in Juarez that we need to visit. 

If anyone knows border towns in Mexico, there seems to be a big fight going on between the local Drug Cartels, and the police.  The last time we went down was earlier in the year, and the Mexican border towns were having a summit to stop the killings, (estimated at 4-7 per day).  There were military choppers, and soldiers all over the place patrolling the streets, with military issue hummers with soldiers hanging off the back.  Just like out of a war movie.  Jerry had some wonderful stories on how people are getting shot at in the middle of the day. (OK if you are related to Drugs then I would be worried).  We were spoiled on our first trip more than I can imagine.  Jerry picked us up at the Mexican Border, after a taxi ride that took us right to the Mexican border office over the Cordova Bridge.  Then Jerry dropped us off at the hotel we were staying at after we were done for the day in the US.

Well this time it was a little different.  The plan was for someone to pick us up at the border at 8:00 in the morning.  I could not get in contact with Jerry, and Karla didn't have a cell phone.  At 7:45 I finally get with Jerry and he says, yes Karla is waiting at the border for you right now.  OK, lets get going John, since its a 15 minute ride, we should be OK.  Well the taxi took 15 minutes to get to the hotel, and I hate to be late for anything, maybe except my funeral.  Well the spoiled treatment didn't work this time.  See the driver we used the first time must have had a special permit to get us over the bridge and into Mexico right where our passports were checked.  He even helped us fill out our paperwork.  $55.00 bucks later we were in Mexico without a hitch.  This time, the taxi guy dropped us off on the American side, because this was as far as he could go.  We asked him what next.  Cross over these 6 lanes of traffic and turn left and up over the 1/2 mile bridge to the Mexican side.  "What I'm screaming in my head"??  It's 8:30 and now this, poor Karla didn't know what she was getting herself into.....  After a brisk walk up over the bridge, we arrived and Karla was waiting for us.  My anxiety level dropped off after seeing this kind young women who was so nice and willing to help.

This is were the fun begins.  The super special treatment we got the first time from Jerry, had landed us in some big trouble.  You see, I found out, silly me that when you leave a country, you need to get your passport stamped and make sure someone knows you are leaving the country.  I thought it was funny that we just drove over to the US side with Jerry and didn't have our paperwork checked.  I think now he had some type of special pass that lets him into the US with any paperwork or something.  The nice lady at the counter looked at our passports and said you did not leave the country correctly last time, so you have to pay a Fine!  I'm like what?  how much  $250.00 pesos ?  How much is that in American?  (13 to 1 was the conversion I found out later.)

John has always been the designated money man because of past bad experience with Mexico.  I guess he is half Hispanic, and in the summer he gets really dark.  He could be mistaken for a Mexican National.  When he was a kid, and this was before birth certificates so he had to pay $150.00 dollars US to get back in the US.  I always joke that he might not make it back accross the border and end up in a jail.  (this time I'm thinking its both of us)  They took our passports (Major Sinking Feeling) and told us to go to the bank of Mexico and pay the fine.  We did that, and came back to the counter to fill out more paperwork and get our work Visa that we have to get every time we go to Mexico.  I asked John if he had enough money and he said no problem.  I've asked him in the past how much money he carries to Mexico and we would never tell.  This time I think he was getting close to his reserve.  (check this out) 

I had to sign some paperwork about the fine, and it was all in Spanish.  Than goodness for Karla, because I didn't want to sign anything I didn't know. (tip: don't sign foreign stuff if you don't know what it is) She said it was about the fine, and don't do it again la, la, la.  After looking at the paperwork, on the second page it said this (arresto de 36 horas).  I look back at this and say, Look Ma ...I can read Spanish (arrested in 36 hours).If I don't get out of this country in 36 hours you will be arrested.  Great, wanted in two countries instead of one. 

We had not left the Mexico correctly so they thought we were running around Mexico for the last 7 Months doing something bad, really bad....(on the lamb I guess)Well the day went great after that other than Karla's husband is waiting in the car (they only have one car running) to be dropped off at work.  He waited much longer that he thought...The trip back to the border was uneventful, because we went right back to the lady who fined us (she smiled) and made sure our passports were stamped.  We had the long walk over the Cordova Bridge

Things I learned from this Trip:

-Don't cross a border without someone stamping your passport
-Don't leave home without extra Cash or John Newville
-Do be nice, people are people around the world
-Third time is a charm with everything (first easy, second hard, third normal)
-If your crossing the border, don't do this...(check this out) 

What a trip, but I'm so glad to be back in the US.  and Yes I will travel to Mexico again soon but not that soon. (I hope?)

The picture on the top of the page is John walking back to US.  Cool picture.  This is right after Karla dropped us off, and we were going back to see the nice lady in the border office in Mexico.  (she smiled a smile I will never forget)

My Blond Moment of the Year Part I

People have asked through the years if Vic  minds if I tell funny stories about how she does stuff.  Most of the time they are true, and I just report them as they happen.  Our family has always been long on humor to get us through some difficult times, and it always make relationships stronger if you can laugh a little at the funny things of life.  I'm sure you have them in your family and life, and humor has always been a big part of ours. Even though mine is dry, very dry.....

I too have had many blond moments, and try to share some of them every year to highlight what funny things I have done.  This has been a yearly ritual, that either tells something stupid or dangerous that happens to me. 

Well some of you know, I went to Mexico last Sunday 12/06/009.  The only way John Newville, and I could get to Mexico on the cheap for the company was to drive to Detroit Metro (DTW) and hop a plane to El Paso Texas.  On Sunday morning, I drove to Apex Spring and picked up the company car.  Of course, the other salesman for the company left the gas only half full.  I picked up John at the Lowell exit on I-96.  While waiting for him, I decided to stop and get a bottle of water and top off the tank so I didn't have to stop and get gas on the way to Detroit.  I was really cold that day with a stiff wind out of the west.  The car had about 1/2 of a tank and I decided to listen to my pod cast as the car tank topped off.

I was deep in listening mode after a while and I noticed that the dollars were ringing up on the tank, I took no notice.  I glanced out and the gallons was getting close to 3/4 of a tank and the light went on in my simple mind.  The AUTO shut off was not working on the pump!  Oh no, I jumped out of the car, and gas was just streaming out to the fuel fill door.  I'm like, crap if I was a smoker, this could have been a highlight film on "look at this guy just before he dies or explodes the hole gas station and my car" story.  I could see the guy in the movie set that gets set on fire and walks like Frankenstein for 3-5 steps and falls over dead.  I got to the pump and shut off the gas.  I think I had pumped more than 5 gallons onto the ground.  The puddle of gas was growing, and I was soooo embarrassed.  I quickly tried to dry off the cars back 1/4 panel, but it was no use.  I was a marked man and I had to get out of there as soon as possible.  I pulled around the side of the gas station a parked.  The puddle was about as big as my car and growing.  I walked in the gas station and didn't say a word, got my water and left.  I'm thinking I will never stop there again, even if I'm almost out of gas in fear of video surveillance I.D. ing me and I will be on some most wanted gas station list, or some tree hugers hit list for environmental abuse.

OK I'm sorry but every gas station has a overflow system that doesn't allow petrol to get into the ground.  I just hope theirs was working? I was just testing their system, yea, yea that's the story, or I think is was?  Oh well?  Made it to DTW on time and had a very interesting trip to Mexico.  That is part II of this story.

Vic's New Addiction

Vic is now the person hiding where she is going.  She seems very aloof at times, and not being very specific on where she is going or where she is at.  She disappears for 2-3 hours at a time and when I see her, its "look what I made."  She finally confessed that she have been hanging out at the scrapbook store!  I pressed her more for this women only secret society.  She couldn't reveal much because of  the secret handshake they must indoctrinate all their new members into when they join the club(maybe the glue they sniff makes them forget stuff?)

I stopped by the store to scope out what was going on and this what I saw.  All the things you need to make the more beautiful post, greeting, or anything card in the world.  They have all the stuff!  Paper, Circuts, presses, cutters, stickers, and glitter.  Yes glitter, that stuff women put in their hair and makeup to make themselves irresistible to their man!  Shelby call the glitter "The Herpes of the Craft World"?  I really don't know what that means, but I have noticed that more often than not, my wife looks irresistible because of the glitter, or is this hiding her addiction.  All glitter aside, I finally found out at least the other "man" was a bug, and glitter was the result of this addiction called card/scrap booking.

I was talking to her and she said, look a did this card and all I had to do is pay $1.00 to do it.  Let me get this straight, they give you 0.15 cents in material and you spend hours putting a card together, you provide the labor, and they get a dollar.  I have to rethink by business model?  What a scam...  Great profit center.  This all took place before Thanksgiving.  The night I was there Rachael was (young girl that Vic had become friend with) was up selling Black Friday to Vic.  Rachael was saying you have got to be here for Black Friday.  Vic kept repeating I'm out of town, but I could tell she was ready to get up Friday morning in Toledo, and drive 3 hours to see what they had on sale.  (thank goodness she didn't)  I don't know how many hours she has been at the store but now I can tell where she has been by checking for glitter in her hair and eyes.

That Silly String (Vic and Floss)

Vic and the floss.  What am I talking about?  The little white string you put between your teeth to clean out last nights or today's food leftovers.  Sounds gross, but Vic is in love with dental floss.  The only problem I have with the stuff is where she leaves it....

Most current locations:

On the floor (I pick it up with my sock)
In the car*
In the purse
In the sink
In the laundry (string on my sweater was floss)
In my Shoes
In our bed
everywhere

Is there a dental floss addiction hot line? 1800 flossed

The funny thing is, we're driving down the road in our Miata with the top down, and out of my seat, you guessed it, I pull that silly string.  I give my beautiful bride the look, and say why don't you throw this away?  She looks at me with a straight face and say, "the little birdies swoop down and pick it out of my car.  You know they use it for building nests, so I leave it our for them."  Wow?  I never thought of that, like they can't use natural things to build their nests, they use dental floss.  I think the birds of West Michigan must get clean bills of health when they visit the birdie dentist.

I on the other hand have discovered the dental pick.  Most people can floss with two hands or maybe one.  I can name that note with no hands, or Look Mom no hands.  I know your impressed, but at least I don't leave my stuff around like Vic.  Its really weird, but the thought of sharing my pick with someone else creeps me out.  Vic-"can I use your floss when your done?"  Yuck!

Well the morel of this story, "friends don't let friends drive while flossing"
no?  how about "Birds of a feather flock together with floss"  no?  how about "Floss a day keeps the tooth Nazi away"  OK, I give up, any suggestions... I'm open....

Vic by the Numbers

Vic has always been a numbers person.  She has always been very good with the management of the family income.  I've always let her that the responsibility of paying the bills, and we have some very interesting times when we either didn't have enough money to pay our bills, or she might just slip a little and forget to pay the bills.  The only time Tommy will notice is when either the power goes off, or the cable internet stops working.  Its always been funny to watch her when the internet is down, because the first thing she thinks, "Did I pay the bill, or did I forget this month?"

Well, I discovered a great little web site that will gather all your financial information and pool it into one site.  Its great and its called mint.(its free).  It does budgets and stuff.  Good stuff for us.  I got to learn things that I never knew before about where money is being spent at our house.

Video rentals has been an ongoing joke with many of your friends.  I signed up with netflix and that didn't work very well for Vic.  She has always been a Brick and Mortar type person.  (she wants to touch, feel and see the store she rents videos from).  Family Video in Grand Haven has always been her choice for video rental.  A $2.50 rental at FV is much better than a $5.00 dollar rental at Blockbuster.  Well the numbers just didn't seem to add up on mint.

Vic by the numbers....

(120) dollars spent from the end of June through the middle of September on video rentals at FV.
(14) dollars spent from the same period per month at Blockbuster to get 1 video + 5 in store drop offs.
(78) dollars that we could have saved by going to blockbuster.
(1) husband that caught her red handed and all she could say was "busted!"

She blamed it on the "desperate housewives series" that she now is all caught up on over the summer.  I think the killer was the late fees between daughter Shelby and Vicki that caught up with them.  She as trying to be sneaky writing checks and using the debit card.  believe me, I had to dig to prove the point. (It could have been more if she paid cash, I don't know, and Vic don't get any ideas!)

With Vic, sometimes 1 + 1 doesn't equal 2, but by these numbers, she was busted!

PS: we now have blockbuster, and she is still fighting me on the video stuff....

My Daughter the Ninja

Oh Ashleigh, my Ashleigh.  She has always been the one who looks at the world inside out.  I've had some very interesting conversations with her regarding what she believes, and what is funny to her.  I've always thought that I had a pretty good sense of humor, even though sarcastic and very dry, dryer that a desert dry.

I go on face book today and my daughter is planning the following:

Slow Motion Ninja Fight.....  Click link for details.  She also has the following graphic on how to make a shirt into a Ninja head dress.

All I can do is shake my head and say, "that's my Ash!".

The other night is was talking to her about if our house has an escape plan.  I go, "for what, fire?".

No, Ash said, you need a "Zombie escape plan."

Enough said, I love my Ash, and Vic well, half of her is in this girl.

I can't say Vic was ever a Ninja? Or was she (humm)?

Vic and the Port

Vic has always been the compassionate one in the family.  She hears stories, and identifies with them, and becomes part of the family.  Me on the other hand, walk past homeless people, the hurting, and say, "cowboy up!" or something like that.

Airports seem to be very interesting places.  There is confusion, panic, fear, and all types of emotion. (Vic leaving), and there is sadness of friends leaving, and the joy of seeing new friends or family members for the first time.

The best time to see such raw emotion is at the doors outside of customs at the Chicago O'Hara international airports. ( Terminal 5).  Its real neat that they have outgoing international and incoming international.  They must separate the good emotion from the bad.  I observed so much raw emotion and I didn't need a interpreter and believe me, Vic and I were in the minority.

An Italian man came through the door and lined up to do three kisses per member(on the cheek).  I think there were 12-15 people, so that was like 45 kisses in less than 2 minutes.

A lot of Asians came through the door, and Vic said why so many.  I mentioned that since they have all our money, its nice that they come back to spend it in our country. (ha!)

There was a German man named Martin that had a fan club of young girls running around chanting and yelling in German to welcome him to America.

There was a Hispanic family waiting for a solider to return, and some young Hispanic children traveling meeting their family.

Vic left me sitting as I was updating pictures to Face book.  So after a while she didn't come back.  You all know if you haven't meet Vic that she could talk and make friends with a tree.  There was a family that was waiting at the gate "B" and Vic started talking.

A family had found a long lost "son, brother".  The Victory day (WW 2)was a sad day for a mother.  She had to give up her infant son and could never locate him.  He (the son) had been looking for the family for 30 years.  Some how they connected via email, and he was on his way for a visit from Denmark.

The mother was now 81 and the son was 65.  His brothers and sister were at the airport with grandchildren and all.  Vic became friends instantly, and when the Son came in she cried.  I think she wanted to go with the family and have dinner.  (Vic wake up, we have Shelby to get!)

Emotion aside, Vic is compassionate and I'm not.  Funny thinking an airport is like a Hospital also, people are coming and going and emotion is everywhere.   When Vic is porting, expect some emotion, and something new for the blog.  By the way, I have many airport stories with Vic I should write about...  More to come.

Tommy

Just the Fax

I have always been a advocate of using technology to advance.  Also, technology is always changing.  I like this and Vic doesn't.  You all know that I have said "Fax machines are obsolete."  I don't even know why I have it on my business card any more.

Well Vicki and I have this argument all the time about fax machines.  She has one, I don't, because I don't use it.  I was on Stay-cation this week for 3 days.  Even though I'm on vacation, I still answer the phone, and do a little paper work in the morning.  I was working on my laptop up stairs on some quotes. 

Vic comes up stairs and starts giving me a hard time about how "I was wrong, and she was right!"  She said, you still get faxes, and here are the papers from down stairs to prove it..

I had to break it too her, that the papers had just come off the "NETWORK PRINTER".

The Computer Whisperer

Ron "the one" is our number one. He has been around computers his whole live, and uses them when he as to. He have never been up on cutting edge technology, even though he knows how to use them, and is more of a minimalist. (pictures, mp3, internet).

I got a call from him this week and this is how it went....

Ron: My computer will not start, I have this blue screen with some dumb notes that I don't understand.

Me: You have the blue screen of death?

Ron: What does that mean?

Me: Its not good.

Ron: Crap!

Me: Do you have a disk in any of the drives (Warning this gets a little geeky)
Ron: Yes, I have a Jimmy Buffet disk in the Cd-drive.

Me: That's the problem, Jimmy Buffet and Computers don't mix.

Ron: What?
Me: I can't see what's going on so can you send me a picture with your cell phone.

Ron: OK, (later) crap the phone is dead, can't send a picture...
Me: I don't know what else to do other than take it somewhere. I think your hard drive is failing, and you're screwed.

Ron: Crap, I have pictures and music on there I need off.
Me: Did you back it up?

Ron: Whats that? No
Me: Crap
Me: Is the hard drive making any noise.

Ron: Its making a clicking noise
Me: OK

Ron: Here listen to it over the phone, I will put the cell phone up to the computer so you can listen.
Me: (Thinking this is not good).

I'm telling this story to Daine and Nate M. on the golf course on Saturday, and they just are rolling, when
 Nate says: "Did he think you were like a Computer Whisperer and you could whisper  it back to health?  Like the Horse Whisperer?"

I know of no computer that will listen to me.

Becky said Daine just beats on the hard drive till it works. ( I don't recommend this even though it works sometimes)

Computers are like Cats, they just sit there, and then do what they want to. Funny thing, I saw a bumper sticker that said this:

"Dogs answer when you call, Cats just have answering machines."

Well, Ron's computer got fixed, he learned that you need to backup your computer, and I learned that I'm not a Computer Whisperer, more like a Computer Screamer!

"The German"

Alex is a fine young man from Germany that Shelby meet at Grand Haven High School in the spring. He was on an exchange program that brought him over from German of 2 or 3 months.
I've always had a bond with those Germans, because of my run ins with some German Engineers, German Cars, and other Stuff. I love that "German Engineering," I've had one Mercedes and currently have a VW Jetta.

Shelby rolls her eyes, when I got to try out some of my 20 or so words on Alex and said "Dad, Stop!" They have become great friend, and he has stayed with us this summer for 2 weeks. I was talking to him and asked, "what type of questions do you get from Americans and what are some of the funniest?"

How big is German?
How many people are in Germany?
Where do you live?
Where is Germany?
Do you have Stars? (What, wait a minuet, someone asked this?) Alex said he look puzzled for a second, and thought, yes we have movie starts in Germany, but no, they really meant "Stars in the Sky" (what a question).

I've concluded, like many Europeans, that people in America really don't know that much about Europe, its people groups, and its geography.

If anyone asked me some of these questions about America, I would have a hard time with them to start with.

Well with Vic, expect some funny ones.

Vic is with friend Amy, trying to locate Germany on a US road atlas? (Oh boy here we go)

Funny thing is, we had a "Smith" get together, and Lori (Vic Sister) said she thought Germany is half the size of the US? (huh?)

The joke going around the house was, I don't know, "Ask the German." or "Its the German's fault." "How do they do this in Germany?" Alex seemed to look to Shelby for translation questions, so sometimes, I thought I was talking through a Teenage Translator. (tt for short).

We had a great time with Alex, and now Shelby is on her way to German for 10 days. She will travel with Alex, and stay with him at his house with his Mom and Dad and Sister.

Blueberry Fields Forever

Oh its blueberry time in Michigan. This is the time where we have a influx of Hispanic workers in large vans hauling their whole families around to pick blueberry's for the West Michigan Blueberry farms. Oh yes and Vic is right out there picking away, trying to get her 10 pounds or whatever weight of of that delicious berry! She has some funny stories about the fields.

1-One time she was out in a private field of blueberry. All of a sudden she noticed that she was all alone, and there were only two other people in the field. (They were men). She started to panic when they started her way, so she pretended to be talking to Amy or Julie on the phone, so they would not attack her, or take all her blueberry's she had picked.

2-When picking out in the field, they usually give you a bucket and a string. You put the string around yourself and the bucket hangs and you fill the bucket up. Well, Vic being Vic, she puts the string around her neck instead of her waist, and fills the bucket up. The weight of the bucket starts to press on her neck, and she starts to hyperventilate. (ha) She needs to get the bucket off her neck, but doesn't want to spill all her blueberries. (I think that could leave a mark) It did, and she could have been the first person to lose her life by strangulation by a blueberry bucket. (SBBB).

I have had all kinds of blueberry things now for the last 2-3 weeks. Blueberry pancakes, Blueberry muffins (The first batch not too good), Blueberry waffles, Blueberry's warm, Blueberry's cold, Blueberry salad, Blueberry frozen, Blueberry shakes, (you get the picture).

I think my teeth are blue, and everything that comes out of me has a blue tint to it. (you get the picture, or I hope you don't)

Attached is the best recipes for blue berry muffins. Wow, Vic baked these and they were the best!(good job Vicki!)

I've watched my wife cook for droves, but she just has not done well in the baking area. This time, I say, "blueberry fields forever!" Love you honey...

Adoption Curve

When you think of adoption and curves, Vic would say I would like to do one (a child), and yes I have the others. (?)

The other day, Vic finally realized that she though the Ipod was a great Idea. She says, "I want an Ipod." I look at her and say, welcome to the 90's!

I corrected myself later after googling the year they introduced the Ipod, and it was in 2001. So I should say welcome to the "00's".

Now the problem with this is that I will have to do all the work on getting it set up and going. Shelby just happened to have a Ipod Nano, and I proceeded to get the Ipod set up and going. Of course she doesn't like my music, so I had to set up some of the music she likes.

In the past she has said, I stole her music. Shelby says this also. If you start liking a band because someone introduced you to them and you like it, in my family it's called stealing the band. If this was a universal truth, then every band would have one follower, and everyone else stole their band from them. Somehow this is not what the record company and in mind for new and upcoming artists. By the way, the band was Genesis, and I do like them also even though I'm a thief.

I get off topic so fast. Maybe I have ADHD or ADD or something? The curve above is the curve marketing should use for Blond people. I'm a early adopter, and Vic is left off the chart! I think in someways, she would be in the "never use this until after I die category." (ha!) She is always wondering what I'm up to. I have something new going on every day.

(?)By the way, for me the answer is no to her type of adoption, and yes to her curves!

Funny Thing on the Road

Funny how thinks happen on the road, and I have about a 30 minute drive time to work every day, each way. Sunday was a very bad day weather wise in the Spring Lake, Grand Haven area. We had winds of 70-80 MPH and many trees and weather damage was all over the area.

Monday rolls around, and I try to get to work and a lot of the roads I take are closed. I end up going north to 96 in Muskegon, after trying 2 different routs through Fruitport. On the road I have a keen sense of what's going on, and today seemed more different than any other day.

On the road, I see a panel truck, like a Volvo or a Frightliner or something...

Out of the back, this thing is blowing a black smoke screen that looks like a car from the 70's with a bad oil burning problem. I'm like take this in for a check up or what? As I drive by the van, the panel on the side is text. Its a Medical transport van from some private firm in Grand Rapids. On the side window, it says this, "Medical Respiratory Transport". I just shake my head and say, what a funny think? oxymoron?

How about this, farther down the road, I'm passing a slower moving truck, and this Mini van with two women are just busting to get past me. I get out of the way, and this Van just zooms past me going 85-90 mph. I took a quick look at them when they are going past, and I see a red cross on the side of the van. (Red Cross Vehicle)

O.K., the women in the van were blond, but the Transportation Van was a guy with dark hair. Is this a blond thing, or a disease,or is it hereditary?

Lets see, is the medical community trying to create customers? I've always heard that people are dying to see the mortician in there town, but this was alarming...(ha!)

So many questions, very few answers....

Lost and Found

I love my family. They make writing in the blog so easy. My number 2 (Ash) called me yesterday and said, we are going canoeing and we need to find a place to put in. I'm at work, and she says to her friends in the car, my Dad can find a spot. Of course I start with Google and try to find this obscure park on the Grand River. Then I text to her phone the directions to this park.

This spur of the moment trip, made me ask some very relevant questions(to myself):

1-Did anyone plan any part of this trip?
2-Where did my daughter get a floating device?
3-If they go down river, who will pick them up?
4-How are they going to get the floating device back to starting point?
5-Did anyone plan any part of this trip?

Ash said they would paddle close to our house, and she would walk up and expect hot pizza ready to eat. I also found out that Vic had conversations about this trip and didn't fill me in....

So they started about 4:00 PM down the river. I call her at 9:00 pm and try to find out where they are, and when are they getting close.

Then the fun begins, since I have never been on the river, I had no idea where she was. She kept repeating where she thought she was, and I tried for 5 to 10 minutes to get a location on Google. 144th is in Grand Haven and Spring Lake. Finally after giving me a specific address, I located where she was... I had to drive down a road in Spring Lake that I never had been before, to a boat launch that I had never been at, to find the following:

1-4 drenched young people, 2 girls and 2 guys.
2-1 wet canoe and all the fixing of a possible disaster.
3-1 Dad that just couldn't believe how I was going to get all these guys back to my home.

Well, they went 5 miles in about 5 hours. Not the most efficient way to travel. I think you can walk faster than that!

After all these answers were presented, I felt a lot better, and had a very enjoyable time along with Vic with her friends : Matt, Joe, Ahjani.

The only question is, did the blond thing skip a generation of not?

Right now the jury is out on that. All I can say is sometimes plans happen when your working them out. I think more planning was put into this than I thought.

At least they were not "up a creek without a paddle".