Fasten your seatbelts... it's another whirlwind tour!

1,000 apologies for taking a month off between blogs. It was not my intent when I started this for that to happen, but .... All I can say is that I'll try to do better. Before I get to my current trip, I want to share a little bit about my previous trips for 2010. Please bear with me, and I will try to get through them as quickly as possible.

My first trip of 2010 led me to the gorgeous Mohonk Mountain House Resort located in New Paltz, NY. Both my day trip to NYC and my day trip to Boston were made possible thanks to this trip. While I'd never heard of New Paltz or Mohonk, that wasn't surprising to me because I've been to several places I've never heard of thanks to this job. What was surprising to me was how fabulous this place was hidden among the Catskills! I felt like I was stepping into a winter wonderland and back in time to the late 1800s. Mohonk Mountain House is owned and still operated by the Smiley family. I had the pleasure of meeting one Smiley while on property and he loved to talk about his family's legacy. The resort is situated in such a manner that from one side you overlook the Catskill Mountain range and from the other you can see Mohonk Lake the top of the Shawangunk Ridge. Everything was under a blanket of snow that was refreshed throughout my stay. I loved it! One of the nice perks of my job is that I have the opportunities to experience winter without having to live in a wintry climate. I think the snow is beautiful, and hope to never become jaded by the work that is involved in shoveling and the like to miss the simple beauty of it. There was not enough time to participate in all the activities MMH offers it's guests, but I was able to hike to the top of the ridge one day and watch the sunset. Coming back down, I appreciated the softly glowing lights that illuminated the property and guided me to my temporary home. The shear size reminded me of the Hogwarts School from the Harry Potter novels. I could go on and on, but you can read the website if you're interested instead http://www.mohonk.com/.

From Mohonk I went to TEXAS! And that is all the excitement I had from that site. I worked support at the hotel on the Sam Houston State University Campus. Yep, that means overnights with college kids. Not much going on for the property, and the employees all had homework, so it was pretty boring for me. The rooms were nice though. They are currently undergoing much renovation and it is being done well. If you are ever in the neighborhood, they are clean and cheap too!

After SHSU, I went to Durham, NC. I was there for a follow up visit and it is such a sweet site. I first worked at the Brookwood Inn back in September and was there for support (picture is from website, sorry but I didn't take any this trip). The site seemed to better appreciate my presence than that of my colleague, and it was I who they requested return. This was my first follow up site, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but when I walked into those front doors it felt just like I'd never left. There truly is something to be said for Southern hospitality. This was just as all those winter storms hit the East coast, the property was surrounded by snow and ice, and I was so busy that this was my first (and only thus far) property to not leave throughout my entire stay. I didn't step one foot outside the building until I caught my cab to leave. Fortunately, I'd been there before and knew what I was missing. I decided I'll just have to go back when the weather is behaving so that I can play. If you ever happen to travel to Durham, NC, I suggest you stop by. The people are friendly, the tea is sweet, and they serve warm cookies every evening.

On a side note, when I arrived at the Raleigh/Durham airport, I spotted an NBA plane. I didn't notice any team affiliation, so I wasn't quite sure what players to seek out. Turns out Larry Bird was just strolling through the terminal. I couldn't reach my camera in time to snatch a picture of Mr. Bird, but I did get one of the plane.