Icy adventure - San Antonio style

I ventured down to San Antonio for a photo conference (1/14-1/16) and ended up getting stuck for a few extra days due to the freak ice storm they had. While the conference was good, the weather was lousy. being from Michigan I am used to the cold weather. I am not used to the drastic changes they had. (when I flew in on the 12th it was 70 and when I left it was 38) However, I on the morning of the 17th, I packed up my stuff to get to the airport by 5:30 am. I slept in the airport until people started showing up for the "delayed" 6:30 am flight at 7:30. They said the flight would be delayed but that I needed to be there. Funny, no one else was there at 5:30. Oh well. Around 8:30 or 9 am the ground crew started "working" on the plane. Hmmm. Very interesting. At one point one of the guys on the ground crew had a mr. coffee-pot of hot water and poured it onto the steps where we would eventually board. (Hot water + freezing temps = more ice!) Oh well, this is Texas. They are not prepared for ice. So, the guys still think they can get the plane to go. Ice, sm'ice. When the pilot arrives and sees the ground crew banging on the wings to get the ice off the plane, I asked him what his thoughts were. Are we going to fly out this morning? Reply: Based on what I see? NO. The pilot was from the Midwest and he was used to snow and ice. They had no de-icer in San Antonio. At some point, the ground crew found an orange home depot bucket and filled it with something that looked like window washer fluid (which in Michigan contains a de-icing agent) and threw the liquid at the plane. Excuse me, guys, it's a plane; how many buckets are you going to throw at it!?!) it was pretty comical to watch the ground crew trying to get the plane "ready" for us. They were working hard, but pounding on the wings does not seem like a great idea and everyone with a camera was taking pictures of them. The pilot had the final say; canceled. I love to fly, but I prefer to be safe. So, if the pilot says no, its a no.

So, after booking my new flight for Saturday the 20th (1st available) and picking up my luggage, back to the hotel it was. Instead of staying trapped in my hotel room, I packed up the camera and headed down to the Alamo. Me and all the other photographers that were stuck in town. I am sure there are tons of pictures with Ice on the cactuses.

Oh well, the next day got a little warmer and I took another adventure. More on that later.

Lemon Tree very pretty

Or at least it was! Within the last two months it has shed all it's leaves and just before Christmas dropped the annual lemon it produces .
: (
I am so bummed. I love my little lemon tree that has been in my house for the last 7 years, flowering and bearing one lemon a year. The thought that it may have met it's match, will sadden me. Any ideas? I will be buying some new potting soil tomorrow in an effort to give it some new life. I have been fertilizing with an acid loving fertilizer for the past 7 years as well which is why I think it was able to bear fruit. But it is not looking so good now.

New Year

Wow, 2006 flew by. The beginning of the year started out quite slow but ended up finishing quite quickly. I am amazed how time flies.
Last night was great. I went to Saugatuck to watch Greg and his band The Truckstop Cobras play for new years eve. Dinner was awesome - the steak was way too big so I ended up giving half of it to Greg. The opening act was good and ended just before midnight so we could celebrate the new year. Kiss, kiss then outside to see the fireworks display on the Kalamazoo river that leads out onto lake Michigan. The fireworks were great and the weather was surprisingly warm for Michigan. Once the fireworks were done, we all went back in to see the Truckstop Cobras. They sounded great and the crowd seemed to be enjoying them quite a bit.
Only one fight at the bar. Two guys with a little too much booze in them and a girl trying to break it up. It was interesting to watch the guys as the guys were throwing their chests at each other (which totally reminded me of a cockfight) However, I did not see them throw any punches although I ended up with beer all over me as they dropped their bottles. Shortly thereafter, they ended up being escorted out of the bar by the bouncers and the cockfight was over. Silly boys. Anyway, it was a good evening.
We pulled in at 3:45 and I was out like a light. I actually even slept in past 7:30 am and made it out of bed by 11:30. Wow. I must have needed the sleep.
Well, 2007 is here and I hope it will be a good one. Cheers!