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Out
In The Passing Lane
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 Have
a good time while you can; I’ve been prone to say on many occasions when
I’ve leaned of someone’s unfortunate passing. Those words struck close
to home the end of April when one of my younger brothers died suddenly
of a very rare disease. He went to the doctor to have a sore back checked
out, and leaned a week or so later than he had an incurable disease and
would not likely live more than nine months. He died a mere two days later.
I never had a chance to speak with him, and I’ve spent the last few weeks
wondering what went through his mind when he leaned of his condition.
I don’t know how I would have reacted in that situation, but I do know that I don’t want to find myself in the position of having wished I’d have lived life more fully. We all complain about not having enough time to do the things we really want to do, and yet the reality is that we fritter away many an opportunity to do things with our families and for ourselves. We talk about making time for those things sometime in the future, when the daily demands lessen. I know of all too many cases when the future doesn’t afford the opportunities we were counting on year’s prior. My brother’s passing has once again reminded me that there aren’t certainties in life, and that there are more interesting, exciting, and challenging things to be done with my life. My brother lived in a suburb of Minneapolis close to where Susana and I had lived for a number years prior to moving to Boston. I flew back for his funeral and took some time to visit our old neighborhood. We thoroughly enjoyed our 15 plus years in the Minneapolis area, but my recent visit reinforced the saying “you can’t go home again.” We’d built a home in a new neighborhood abutting a large farm, and all the homes on the cul-de-sac were built at about the same time. Our old home is now surrounded by overgrown landscaping (that we planted), as are all the other homes on the street. The farm is now hundreds of large homes on small lots. The rural character of the neighborhood has given way to high-density housing. The nearby two-lane road I took to work is now a four-lane limited access highway (even renumbered). Major highway intersections have been created on which a number of office towers and chain hotels have sprung up. The major interstate ring route is now a mess as they are converting it from four lanes to six lanes in order to deal with the increased traffic in the area. The airport is unrecognizable from the days when I flew in and out on Northwest Airlines. I felt lost driving around recognizing very little from our days living in the area. It felt very strange to be there, almost like landing in a foreign country. From all the construction activity underway in Minneapolis, the heavy traffic, and expanding airport and Mall of America, I’d guess the local economy is doing very well. I’ve recently flown through Dallas, and Atlanta, and into Minneapolis and San Antonio. In each case the airports, particularly Atlanta and Boston, were very busy, reinforcing what I’ve been reading suggesting that air travel is returning to better than normal levels. Busy airports are yet another indicator that the US economy is in fact getting better. By the time you read this column Susana and I will have returned from a driving trip through Virginia. Susana’s a Civil War buff, so she’s wanted to tour many of the battlefields and museums sprinkled throughout that state. Each time we’ve traveled down to VIR we’ve discussed the places we’d like to visit, but we’d never made time for a leisurely tour of the state’s numerous historic sites. This year we set aside vacation time for something other than DE events – I know, I know many of you are probably questioning my sanity over that decision! We also fit in a side trip to Colonial Williamsburg, and a stop in Hershey, PA to check out possible lodging options for the 2005 Porsche Parade. I’ll author a travelogue of our adventures for a future issue of the NOR’EASTER, since we traveled in a Porsche. I suspect that a number of you readers also make road trips in your Porsches (you can probably guess what’s coming!) to interesting places on entertaining roads. What can I do to get you to submit articles for the newsletter focused on your trips (along with pictures of course!)? In this issue region member Allen Kendall writes about his participation in the recent Rennsport II event held in Daytona. He willingly submitted his story, I didn’t even have to twist his arm – and he provided lots of pictures! He obviously had a great time, and you’ll enjoy reading about his adventure. Susana’s just back from a trip to England and France with her sisters. They drove on the wrong side of the road in Wales and discovered the “Museum of Speed.” I only had to make a little suggestion to her to write about her trip – no arm-twisting required. Allen, Susana and I would like to read about your driving trips, so get busy please! While I’m on the subject of travel, I thought I’d comment on some of the small things that make travel more enjoyable. For air travel one of the great advances is of course e-ticket electronic check in. Not having to wait in long lines to check in dramatically reduces the hassle factor. Of course getting upgraded to first class is the best hassle reducer. Finding a place to park at Logan these days is also a bonus, who’s doing all the traveling? Finding an airport yogurt/ice cream stand that sells white chocolate mouse ice cream is a dream come true! For automobile travel, I’m a fan of the Mobil Speedpass. Just wave it at the pump and you’re in business. No need to pull out a credit card, or venture into the station. I know a number of you are fans of Fast Lane/EZ-Pass, but that’s one technology that I avoid. We’re not supposed to be paying tolls on the Pike, and I don’t want them to know where I’m traveling. It’s too easy for them to collect a highway use tax using this technology. Fail to maintain a cash balance in your account and they penalize you. I’m a Luddite when it comes to this technology. I’m also a fan of easy off easy on gas station replenishment options. On Route 128 North in Beverly is a combination Exxon, Dunkin Donuts, Burger King facility. Designed much like pit lane on a racetrack, you’re in and out of that place quickly with all you need for a morning commute to Gloucester. I’m doing 60 plus before I hit the highway! Finally when we’re on the road for a DE event we’re always searching for a Blue Beacon truck wash. Designed principally to service the 18-wheel crowd, these facilities are great places to stop and get your truck and trailer cleaned. I’m sure they use materials that could harm the environment, but when you exit everything sparkles like new. |
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