Toronto Trip

This year if ifnally said enough was enough with having not visited Canada in so long so I went.  The original plan was to go to St. John, NB for the Womens Curling World Championship but that was scrapped due to a wicked snow storm that affected the eastern seaboard just before the day I was to leave.  It ended up not being as bad as expected and I thought I could end up going...but thank God I didn't as later in the week when I would have planned to be leaving St John for Toronto the weather took a nasty turn which caused chaos from NB through Quebec.

Thankfully I had already changed plans and decided I would rather spend a week in Toronto.  This was a driving trip once again and this time thought the countryside of PA and NY to the epic waterfall, Niagara Falls. It was a beauty to once again see this sight as it had been nearly 20 years since I last visited it...this time was even more fun since it was frozen.

After spending the night in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario it was on to the fun that encircles that town....wineries! All of the big name wineries of Canada are located in that town so I decided to hit all of them as well as locations that are obscure to many in the States but big to those who have ventured even once to the North.  The wineries I visited were the Jackson Triggs, Inniskillen, Peller Estates, and Reif Wineries.  I came away with quite a haul that I knew would be such fun going through customs to bring back to my country.

After my visit to the wineries it was on to the hotel for a week in downtown Toronto.  I don't think I could pick a better hotel then staying at the Intercontinental Hotel City Center.  It ws centrally located adjacent to the convention center and across the rail tracks from Rogers Centre and Skylon Tower.  My view out the window of my room was quite stellar and is the next photo.

The night I arrived was the first of two trips I made to nearby Oshawa.  It is a small town of middle class Canadiens, my type of people, which have the same problem as I do... An undying love of hockey.  The Oshawa Generals have been a staple in this town for decades and their new rink, at least to me, is the GM Center.  It is a beauty and definitely the type of place a team of the caliber of the Generals would have for their home.  I got to see two wins in the playoffs by the Gens while I was in Canada as well as get to see one of the top five players in the 2014 NHL Draft in Michael Dal Colle.

The second day of my trip saw a FULL day of fun starting with a visit to the Skylon Tower.  It is much like the towers in Niagara Falls and Seattle which have great views of the cities sites and are must does as long as you don't have a fear of heights.  The Skylon Tower in Toronto is famous as well for its bottomless floors in the elevators and on one of their floors in the main part of the tower.  The second thing I did was go to the only Canadian round of the Monster Energy Motorcross series at Rogers Centre.  I was only able to stay for the prelims and qualifying as I had tickets for another event that evening but let me say it was a wonderful experience even though I never got to see Ryan Villipoto race a lick.  Last item on the day was to see an epic event that not many people see per year....the Leafs vs. the Canadiens.  This game has ALWAYS been a must do for me as a hockey fan and it lived up to my expectations.  The venue, Air Canada Centre, is EXTREMELY loud and even more so when the Canadiens come calling.  Unfortunately, the Leafs were screwed by a bad call and ended up losing this game but it ws fun and something I will do again.  It ws also one of two games of the Leafs that I got to see on the trip as I ended my trip seeing them play the Blues.

The rest of my trip was mainly sight seeing and what would a trip to Toronto be without going to the Hockey Hall of Fame. It is the hockey fans epicenter of fun.  All of the trophies handed out by the NHL are housed here for the year and of course you also get a photo opp with the biggest one, The Stanley Cup.

Among the other things I went to do on the trip was to see the Leafs old stomping grounds the Maple Leaf Gardens which has now been turned into a combination supermarket on the lower floors and a hockey rink for a sports club on the upper floors where the original rink was located..  I also had to shop at the place I always buy clothes from in Canada, partially due to the owners being from the same college as me as well as e quality of clothes they have.  The location at Eaton centre in central Toronto is considered their flagship store and it is a gorgeous store with three floors of clothes.  Eaton centre is also home to a HUGE Hudson Bay Company (HBC) store which I was able to purchase items from the Canadian Olympic Team.

The last major tourist thing I did was to go to the Toronto Zoo.  It is a short drive up the 401 from downtown and is a must do for the city as it is a large zoo with many specimens you may not have in your zoo back home.  They have Polar Bears (including a baby), Pandas, Grizzly Bears, Moose, Australian animals which are very unusual to see as well.  They also have some penguins that REALLY love cameras.

The other thing about Toronto is you never know when you will see a television show or movie shooting in the city.  It is a MECCA of productions and is considered the NYC of Canada for the production Companies.  On two consecutive days I ran into the shooting for the CW show Beauty and the Beast and got pictures of the main cast.  It ws quite funny as on one of the days they were shooting it ws FRIGID...I mean 20 degrees with 30MPH winds and light snow.  On that day they shot a scene where a lady was taken by two agents while wearing a sleeveless wedding dress.  It was beyond funny to watch since they were frozen.

All in all a GREAT visit to Toronto and am already planning on a repeat either the end of the year or same time next year.  

On the way a home I was also able to go to a place I had long wanted to try due to it being on television for weird eating contests to finish large items quickly.  I was not going to be stupid enough to try a ridiculous sized one so I only had...the One Pounder...lol.

CPAC 2014

Well another year has gone by in relation to politics and the CPAC event.  Of course it seems a year in politics means much the same to the folks in this party.  As an independent politically I like to go to various events to see the truth of what the people of that party believe.  You see the side constantly that they want to show you on TV or in the events where they are viewed by a greater audience but when they are with their "people" you get to see the real person.  For this reason I HIGHLY recommend voters get out there and go to events to see the truth behind the candidates to make a FAR more informed decision on what they truly believe when it comes to their politics. 

This year saw the usual suspects from Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Sarah Palin, and Ann Coulter.  These folks grace this stage every year and this year seemed like the same message as the past years...Obamacare is terrible and everything government is the devil.  It really ticks me off sometimes to hear this constant tirade from this side of the aisle since it seems they don't have answers it is just that every thing the othe side thinks is trash.  If they would come up with some ideas we would be a much better off country as we could have a real debate on the ideas and even maybe work together to compromise on some things to get the people in this country better lives.  

The surprise this year, however, was of last years snub Chris Christe.  He was very good in my mind as although he was obviously hitting some of the tones of the rest of the far right of the party he at least was calling out things that need to be done differently by them.  Of course he pretty much had already killed his campaign the weeks before by the scandal involving Bridgegate.  Among others to grace the stage was Col Oliver North which I can not understand as a hero of this side of the aisle when he is a disgraced officer but I digress.

Of course it is also pretty easy to get access to many of the people in attendence as they are walking the media area within arm distance of all to he attendees.  Here I am with Col North, Dinesh D'Souza and media members EJ Dionne and Dana Loesch.

All in all it ws a same old, same old mentality for this convention.  But I will say it was MUCH smaller this year and it is quite possible that they may either move the event next year to another city, cancel it altogether, or downsize further.  It seems attendence is waning and the organization in charge of it needs to rethink the way they are running the event to make it a success further in the future.

AMS Meeting Atlanta

Prior to going to Disney my boss asked me if I was willing to go in his stead to the AMS conference in Atlanta.  This being the first time I have attended since I was in college it was a blast.  Now mind you, you have to be a weather need to really get anything from the conference. I have degrees in meteorology so this was an easy sell.  With it being on the way back from FL and the following week after our vacation we went directly there since we were in a car going to Fl.  

We arrived to downtown Atlanta the day before the conference as a whole was to begin and mind you I hate a this city....  

We stayed in the downtown so that we could have access to the convention center without issue and access to the touristy things when we weren't at the events.  Unfortunately, due to the fact that Atlanta does a poor job with their sidewalks and the city itself is on a "hill" it made it difficult when your mother has a hard time walking and is in a wheel chair. 

The day after we arrived was Super Bowl Sunday so we spent the day at the sights seeing the Olympic Park and Coke World.  After doing a part of our day in the touristy things I went off to meet a fiend in Buckhead to watch the game at Twin Peaks...little did I know we would run into an Atlanta icon...Chipper Jones.

The conference itself started the next day and was four days FULL of VERY informative sessions on the science of weather and the new advances from college, private industry, and National Weather Service entities.   My favorite sessions included a half day symposium on the Fujita scale and changes to the scale people would like to do as well as scientific techniques that could make for better understanding of what the true classification of the Tornado should be.  Another was the entire day spent discussion major events from 2013 and what was done scientifically and otherwise in response to those disasters. Of course the biggest event I went to (I have to say this...lol) was the Family of Services and Partners Meeting for the National Weather Service where we talk to our private industry partners on the advances we are doing in our offices to make their lives "easier".

Of course as a weather need we also had the opportunity to see some of our faves in the industry from Josh Wurman, Mike Better, Dr Greg Forbes, and Ryan Maue.  Of course the best part is being a part of the AMS website for a year since they snapped you while being in line to get your book signed by your Director.

No trip to Downtown Atlanta would be complete without seeing the obvious epicenter of the city, CNN Center, or the icon of the city, The Varsity.  CNN center has a great VIP tour you must take which gives you an up close view into the daily operations of the television station with visits to their control rooms and right outside their many broadcast areas.  The Varsity is an icon for a reason unto itself...it is built into what could have only been a roller rink in its earlier days and is now a drive in fast food joint...it is without a doubt a don't miss on a vacation to Atlanta.

Family trip to Disney

Time for a bit of catchup....I slacked again! 

After Rolex 24 the family went to Disney for a trip this time with my sister and her family.  This was the first time my sister has been to Disney since she was in High School (now 30) and the first for her two kids.  Usually the trips we take to Disney are adult trips so this was fun to we it in the eyes of a child again.  

We were there together mainly due to a convention my brother in law was attending but it was just a good excuse to get to a warmer climate.  The first three days were spent without him due to going to the convention and he joined with us once again for the last two days.  We had a grand time by going to all four parks seeing many characters and going to many of our favorite haunts since my mother and I are regulars.  

It was great to see the interaction the children 2 and 1 had with the characters.  They were such cheeses in many cases plus it was great to get pictures with my niece and nephew which I don't get to see as much as I like.  

Another great thing is the family portrait which always is taken by the castle.  It is a time honored item to have as it signifies the vacation to a T. It is all about having a magical time in a place that is taken from reality and puts you into a new way of being.  

Of course, myself, I couldn't leave without adding to my collection of pictures with the characters.  Since Anna and Elsa were new due to Frozen (with their five hour waits being a rule) I had to get them plus my usual picture with Cinderella.

This is always a favorite of mine to go to and with the Be Our Guest location which is a favorite of ours for dinner and staying for a first time in Polynesian Resort it was a winner.  Unfortunately, due to Disneys lack of building new areas quickly to keep pace with Universal and it's lack of items to do as a person more than ten it has become a place where I can only justify going to on a a much rarer occasion going forward. 

It is still a great destination for many....so always Wish Upon A Star.