In this weeks edition:

And we’re back…
Jeanine and I were awol last week. We traded the office environment for a cruise ship with 3,000 fellow motorcycle enthusiasts. This was the second High Seas Rally that we have participated in. On this trip, our traveling companions were Doug Martin and Becky Willis. They were also with us 5 years ago on our first excursion.
From Pittsburgh we flew to Tampa, FL to board the “Brilliance of the Sea” which was our home for the week.
We left the papers in the capable hands of Allison and the staff. As expected they did a great job, which allowed us to enjoy our trip.
Everything went great. My decrepit arthritic knees were certainly tested but they too survived. I do admit that I often found a shady spot to rest while Jeanine, Becky and Doug shopped and took in other adventures. I particularly appreciated them putting up with me. I certainly realized what has happened to my body in that five year span. The good part was that the average age of the HSR participants was 55, so many were much less mobile than I was.
The weather was perfect... sunshine and temperatures in the 70s and 80s. Our first stop was Grand Cayman, followed by Cozumel, Mexico and Key West, FL. Of course there were also a host of activities on ship, including a Pirate Night, Hillbilly Evening and Hippie Night. They all made for great people watching which is one of my favorite things to do when I’m waiting.
Everything went great until the evening before we returned to port. I realized I was getting a sore throat. Jeanine got me some throat medicine so I didn’t think much of it. Maybe it was the flight back... but by the time we were back in West Virginia I felt terrible. More medicine and rest on Sunday yielded minimal improvement.
I was attempting to get dressed Monday, when Allison showed up. She quickly convinced me that she could handle things at the office. It really didn’t take much arm twisting the way I felt. On top of that... she sent her mother a text with details of a doctors appointment she arranged for me on Tuesday. So, while the vacation was great, I hope to get life back to normal... real soon.