Follow the Paws

When you are lost in a children's hospital in So Cal you follow the paws. That's what Bob did anyway to get to the cell lab. Otherwise it was another uneventful mission.  No hassles at the airport. On the contrary, the 2 TSA agents were the same ones as the last trip. They recognized BMB so it was a breeze getting through security. The captain of the flight was curious and asked a lot of questions like," what happens if the marrow doesn't get there?" Through rain, sleet, snow and slow flights the marrow will get through. He made every effort and succeeded in bringing the flight in early.

Surfer Bob met his plastic soul mates!!! How serendipitous. The best part is the building is being torn down. What are the chances of Bob finding one of these dudes on ebay? I have no idea what is going on with the Surfer Bob shadow puppet.  It looks like a dinosaur from the La Brea Tar Pits is about to chow down on Bob.

So long 08 welcome 09

Bone Marrow Bob is on the road again. Looks like it's going to be a busy year. First stop.... Chicago. It was cold and snowy but that didn't dampen Bob's spirit even though that made sightseeing a little difficult. How high is the Sears Tower? Don't know didn't see the top.

Ever the art lover, BMB toured the Art Institute of Chicago. They have one of the best collections in the world. Surfer Bob has always wanted his picture taken with " Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jette" and here was his chance. He couldn't pass up the iconic "American Gothic" either. Unfortunately Bob's table manners need a little polishing. Here he is playing hide and seek in the table decoration at The Custom House.  You never know where Surfer Bob/Bone Marrow Bob will turn up. 

Winston Salem

North Carolina is exquisitely beautiful in the fall. I didn't get a picture of the trees because a picture just doesn't cut it. To quote the writer Edward Hoagland ,although he was speaking of another place, "The beauty is so concentrated, excessive, it is slapstick".

So Surfer Bob coasted through the elections. While sight seeing in he passed the Obama headquarters in this newly blue state.

If you're ever in W-S I strongly suggest eating at Sweet Potatoes. There's nothing better than Southern cooking, shrimp and grits, barbecued duck with red and white fries, indeed! Owners Stephanie Tyson(right) and Vivian Joiner(left) took a shine to Bone Marrow Bob and his mission.

For a while I had a hard time figuring out why smoking was still accepted in restaurants and other public places, then it hit me ....Winston Salem duh!

Cincinnati

As I muse about Cincinnati, I find I really don't know much about it. It's home to Proctor and Gamble, the Cincinnati Reds (terrible season), the Bangles(even worse season), the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati and HBO's, John from Cincinnati. Actually John from Cincinnati is only the name. It has nothing to do with the city. It's about a mysterious guy that shows up in California and says he's from Cincinnati. Kind of like the coneheads are from France. Speaking of TV shows, the image I have of Cincinnati is of Les Nessman from the afore mentioned show WKRP tossing turkeys out of a helicopter for a radio promotion. So, it's about time Bone Marrow Bob paid a short visit. There were not a lot of photo opts so here he is crossing the Ohio river. In the courier business you see lots of cities that you otherwise have no reason to go to other than to say "ah yes, I've been there".

I seem to be writing a lot about the TSA. I guess they're always good for a story, but even that gets old. I will try and find something of more interest from now on. However, that is part of the point of this blog. You travel, you have travel stories. My secret desire is to have Surfer Bob ride the x ray belt, but again the TSA would not find the humor in that. Stay tuned.

TSA hell

I've got nothing against Phoenix. It's a great city and the saguaro cacti are truly monumental, but the TSA ............... who do they think they are? If you keep up with my blog you have read about them before. Be warned, they will search you, scrutinize you and show their stupidity. Unfortunately, our return flight from Maui was cancelled and we were rerouted through Phoenix. I guess because we were rerouted on another airline we were predisposed to being body checked. They are not subtle and have no sense of humor. The body check wasn't too bad but then she took everything out of my purse(except BMB) and wanded it. I only wish I had something embarrassing(use your imagination) in there. Perhaps I am being unjust. Perhaps it is only the TSA agents in the American terminal that are so voracious. I don't know because that is the only airline I take to Phoenix, since we are based out of DFW. Maybe your experiences are better. If so let me know.

Bob does Hawaii

Surfer Bob finally touched the sacred sands of Hawaii. The waves weren't so great but the sunsets and MaiTais were. Gotta say, if you are ever in Maui, you need to stop by Mama's Fish House for the freshest fish on the island. The drinks aren't bad either.