Boat in my Rearview until Spring '14

I heard Mindy's alarm go off I'm thinking around 730am. I woke and glanced her way and noticed her already awake texting from her phone. Really? I rolled over trying to steal a few more winks but couldn't sleep. A couple minutes later when I woke for good, she was again on her phone again, only this time she said she was reading my blog.

I brushed my teeth then headed downstairs where I started some coffee. It was sunny but cold. According to Yahoo, only 28 degrees. Mindy & Bella were heading to Bellefontaine while I went after the boat at Paul's Marine then took it to storage. The night before Mindy said she needed to be up by 8am. I took her coffee a few minutes later.

Downstairs I played on my compute while enjoying coffee. Dad wrapped at the door around 830-845am. He stopped by to see if Glenn or I was interested in going to breakfast. Glenn, perhaps, but me, no. I shared my plans to run and then pick-up the boat. Mindy & Bella were up, ready and out the door before 930am. And not too far behind them was Glenn and dad. Just like that I had the house all to myself.

I headed out for my 3 mile Saturday run. It was cold and breezy. The breeze made it feel much colder than it really was. Felt like winter. Still, the sunshine warmed things up a bit. Back at home i wasted little time readying myself to go after the boat. Saw no reason to shower first. Instead, I headed out still in my running attire. I was happy to find that the Pilot's gas tank was on full.

Made decent time around 270. Not a problem at all. However, once I exited onto Rt 23 north it was like rush hour traffic for the rest of the drive up - slow and pretty much bumper to bumper. Got to Paul's around 11am. By then the clear blue skies changed to partly cloudy but the chilly breeze remained. It was chilly enough that I wished I'd worn a thicker jacket. Paid my bill and waited for the guy to bring my boat around via tractor.

I noticed the boat bouncing dramatically on the trailer, but I figured it was because of the bumpy gravel drive. I also knew that the last pull out of the lake left the nose of the boat an inch or so shy of the "V" groove at the front of the trailer. I hopped out to attach the boat to the Pilot and immediately noticed that my winch strap was snapped, and not at the stitching. What the heck? I complained to the guy who brought it around. He apologized and no questions asked agreed to replace the winch strap on them.

While waiting, which wasn't too long at all, I got a text from Lindsey asking if the kids were home. Said the boys wanted to come over. Nope! I headed towards Hilliard with the boat in tow around 1140am. Traffic was almost as slow as the drive up, and it really slowed the closer I got to the 23/270 interchange. Made good time around 270 and arrived at Lee's RV just after noon. The main entrance was closed for work. Had to enter through the brand new exit, which is a new hi-tech gate. Very nice! Ed was out monkeying with it when I pulled in. We chatted briefly, him ask that I simply leave it near the boat warehouse and he would put it away. No problem. After detaching the boat I gave it a closer once over, actually crawling in under the cover. I checked to make sure the battery was there and disconnected. I also grabbed the old cap and rotor which they replaced and left the old on my seat. I made sure nothing of significance was missing then left for home.

By then I was very hungry , having eaten only a banana much earlier. Couldn't wait to get home and get something of substance in my tummy. Got home around 1245pm. By then it was mostly cloudy. So much for our sunny morning. Inside I whipped up a thick ham and cheese sandwich then checked a couple texts. Mindy sent a couple sharing that Bella finally got to compete but that they were about an hour behind. They left the school for lunch. Wanted to know if I was coming up. No. By then it was near 130pm.

After woofing down a sandwich I felt really sleepy so I took brief nap flat on my back on the livingroom floor. Felt great. I'm guessing it was near 215pm when I upped with new found energy, headed out to do some more work in the front flower beds - winterization. I picked up where I left off Friday when I had limited time. This time I cut back all the ivy and remaining summer flower remnants. Dad & Glenn pulled up while I was busy working. Glenn quickly dismissed himself and headed inside for a nap. Dad stuck around helping and chatting. We hung out for about an hour I am guessing. Talked mostly about retirement planning and mortality. Ashley called sometime in there too, Wanted to know if Mindy and I would watch Olivia two weekends from now so she can take Steven out for his b-day. She also shared that she was heading to an outdoor wedding in an hour or so at Darby Battelle park. Yikes!
Dad soon left which by then had to be near 330pm. Glenn was already up from his nap getting ready for the OSU tailgating event with step brother Kenny and family. Tommy was coming to pick-up Glenn. He arrived shortly after I got out of the shower. We talked for a while before the two of them left.

Mindy sent a handful of texts. It was 430pm and Bella was still waiting to compete in her final event. The drudgery! Mindy complained of her back hurting from sitting all day in bleachers. Ugh! We do the gymnastics events purely out of love, because it's absolute torture for the parents. You get to see your kids compete in three events that collectively take about 45 seconds, but often times stretched over 6-8 hours time. Not much else to do other than people watch, read, play on one's phone.

I watched a little football and wrote for my blog to kill time. Mindy and Bella didn't get home until about 615pm. Jimaken was on his way back from Jacob's Dayton soccer tournament and was supposed to pick-up Bella at our place. Apparently asked Mindy to bring her to his place so he wouldn't have to wait around at our house. Mindy refused after her brutal day in the bleachers. :) Turns out, he and Jacob didn't get there until 630pm anyway. I guess they made a pit-stop at Giant Eagle.

Mindy said she was tired but was still interested in going out to CBC. I suggested we make a visit to the brand new Wolf's Ridge Brewery & restaurant, which is in the heart of downtown. Mindy was game. We agreed to stop for just one beer. We both freshened up then left. Arrived at Wolf's Ridge near 7pm and got a parking meter spot right out front. Meter's down there are free that time of night, or at least I think so. I didn't really check. Didn't get a ticket.

Nice place. Mindy instantly said it reminded her of the Bridgeport Brewery in Portland. The restaurant seating was about 3/4 capacity. The bar, just a couple stools remained, We snatched them up. Could tell right away, more of an upscale crowd. We introduced ourselves to the bartender, who served us both their house IPA. The only have three beers on tap right now as well as a host of guests draughts.

We ordered from the small plate appetizers menu, which pretty much every option required us to ask what it was and meant (words I've never knew referred to food or had never heard or used). :) We opted for a plate with small breads, gourmet mustard, pâté, and meats. It was $13, so I was a tad discouraged when they brought it out. Key word, 'small plate'. However, as small as the portions were, the taste and quality was top notch! Very impressive. The idea, of course, is to serve as an appetizers before one of their tasty dinner entrees.

We held tightly to our plan, finished our beer and appetizers then asked for out check. We'll definitely go back for more of their beer and possibly even dinner. Thumbs up!! As good as it was, we were both eager to get to CBC, which feels as good as home for the two of us. We parked across the street just as we have since the lot break ins in July.

Vince and Emily were working the bar and they had Bodhi on tap. We both ordered one. Yum! Already, the Buckeye game was about to begin. CBC can never be accused of being a sports bar but they do have to 32" flat screens in two corners of the bar - subtle but functional. I advised Mindy not to ask or order risotto balls. Instead, I said we should let Vince do his thing. A few minutes passed and Mindy asked anyway. Vince, of course, said he'd already placed the order. A couple minutes later they were there. Yum-yum!

The Buckeyes took their opening drive and scored a TD. No doubt Urban has our offense clicking on all cylinders. But make no mistake, our defense will kill us. And just like almost every other game this season, Penn State drove right down the field on us too. However, from inside the 10 yardline the QB threw an interception in the endzone.

Jamie, an off-duty CBC server, and her boyfriend, took the two empty stools next to us. We talked with them for the duration of our visit. Hungry, I uncharacteristically ordered us a dinner entree to split - the pecan crusted walleye. It sounded really good. I also ordered a 2nd Bodhi, which would also be my last. They brought our dinner split on two plates. Thanks Emily/Vince! I ate all of mine in a hurry. Mindy barely touched hers. She was busy talking with Jamie and her boyfriend. Mindy offered her share to me. I took a bite or two but then had Vince box it up for home. We headed home at halftime. By then the Buckeyes had a comfy-cushy 42-7 lead.

I paid the dinner bill and drove us home. I'm thinking we were home by1030pm. Of course, we missed a little of the game in our transition from CBC to home. Mindy headed upstairs to change into her PJs while I cracked open a beer. We hung out and watched a little bit of the game from downstairs, but then the very end from bed. The Buckeyes gave up a cheap touchdown with just a couple minutes to go. Buckeyes won 63-14 in what was a complete blowout.