Whirlwind Tour USA & Lieutenant Dan!

I finally made it home. I was so unbelievably happy. I have to say that I really grew to appreciate the U.S. more after my trip to the Middle East 6 months ago, but I REALLY appreciate it now. It felt so good to be able to go out where ever I want, when I want and dress how I want with out being ogled.

I began my 5 weeks off by just relaxing and hanging out with my precious Onyx and Topaz. I grabbed a quick flight to Florida for a few days to see a friend, and then off to Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

I have to say that the flight to Florida was sort of weird. There was this enormous person sitting next to me on the plane guarding a salami sandwich. The plane took off and was making its ascent when the guy tried to pull down his tray table and eat his salami sandwich! Seriously? You couldn't wait even 5 more minutes? Then I noticed the book next to him appropriately titled: Finger Lickin' Fifteen. Yikes!

I had planned on just renting a cheap car, but after I got to the rental counter I let the guy talk me into renting a 2010, white, convertible Mustang. Yikes! I loved it. It was 114 degrees in the desert on my drive to L.A., but I didn't care. I paid for a convertible, so I am driving with the top down Damn it!!

Los Angeles was SO fun! I went to visit my friend Marc who is a comic book writer. He is friends with Eddie Cahill who is an actor on CSI:NY. Eddie invited us to come and visit the set of CSI:NY.

They were filming in a building on location in downtown Los Angeles. We went in and there were Eddie, Sela Ward, and Gary Sinise! Wow! So cool! Sela was very nice but I was excited about Gary Sinise. I went over to him to have a chat. I asked him about his involvement in the USO and he mentioned that his band was doing some charity gigs for injured soldiers. What a great person. So, we were chatting a bit about the Middle East and the Army when he suddenly walked away from me. I figured I must be annoying him. He IS working after all. A few minutes later he came back over and apologized for being so rude. He said, "Wow, I am sorry. I didn't mean to walk away. I just get tunnel vision sometimes when I am working and had to ask the producer about this next scene." I told him it was no problem at all. After that. we headed back over to the trailers. We said goodbye and he wished me luck and then gave me a HUG! So cool!

I drove back to Vegas and was able to hang out with some of my friends and then headed back to Ohio. A day later I went to Texas and then it was already time for me to fly to my new job in the United Arab Emirates.

Last word in the dictionary and the name of a great song by Stone Sour.

Gary Sinise! Awesome!

Nature Shots

These are just some random nature pictures I took during my stay in Northeast Ohio this summer.

A fawn grazes on someone's front lawn in Cleveland Heights.

A Great Spangled Fritillary at Girdled Road Reservation.

August sunset in the country.

Topaz takes a dip in the creek.

A rock that resembles a mosaic in the creek.
Iron seeping through the rocks.

Topaz, I don't think we're in Vegas anymore!

T-minus 33 days and counting. Bates Creek, Leroy Township, Ohio (my parents' backyard). It doesn't get much more small-town than this. No high school, no police station, no post office. But there are two bars, an elementary school and three gas stations. Woo hoo! Since Topaz is a native of Las Vegas, he has never really spent much time out of the desert.

Topaz's first expedition into the woods.

Gah! It's a wolf! No, just little ole' Onyx.

Topaz contemplating how to navigate the waterfall.