Our New Favorite Island

                                         CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

I know I said a few weeks ago tha Aruba was our new favorite island, but we've been here in Bermuda less than 24 hours and it is charging fast for the lead. Ther is so much to love about this country, the people, the food but most of all the views.  The beaches and water are beyond words, so I'll post some photos to give you an idea.

Doing a little "Time Travelling"

During this graduation season we have witnessed many celebrations of moving on to the next phase of life for many young people in the family. Whether it’s graduation from high school, college or an advance degree, this is a period of life which symbolizes movement. To many it means travelling to new environs to continue their education. To others it may mean travelling to a new job or promotion. Nonetheless, life is full of these escapades which create what we call the big picture of life.

This past week-end we did a different type of travelling, “Time Travelling”. Yes we went back in time to our 45^th high school reunion of the class of 1966 Booker T. Washington High School in the ATL. This is the oldest African American high school in the city and maybe the state. It has such luminous graduates as Martin Luther King Jr., (who actually left early as I did), Julian Bond, Maynard Jackson and the list goes on and on.

It was great to see so many young faces which have matured in to older faces but one always associates high classmates as they were then and not as they are now. I guess high school days hold a very special place in the hearts and memories of most people for a variety of reasons. I guess it the first time in life that male-female relationships start to blossom. It is also has a great influence on one’s socialization skills. High school, at least the summer before high school, is where I met Claudette, my wife of 44 years. There was a book out several years ago entitled “Everything You Need to Know, You Learn by the 4^th Grade” or something like that. I think everything you did in high school probably had more impact. One remembers the awkwardness, the feeling of not belonging sometimes, the slights, the victories and the defeats. We never know what impact those things had on who we became (Either because of or in spite of.).

It was nice travelling back in time this week-end.

Philly

In Philadelphia for about four hours and already had a stromboli and cheesesteaks. The Reading Market was off the hook. Everywhere you turn there was a tantalizing treat staring you in the face. I feel like I am in a different country. What a drastic change from Texas and Oklahoma?

Travelling to South Beach without me.

This past week-end, Claudette and Dee traveled to Miami to support Brandon at a talk he was giving at an ABA meeting. They tell me it was a rousing success. I had been gone so long from the job recently that I felt I needed to stay in the ATL. Miami is always a great destination. Some call it the financial capitol of Latin America. ( I am sure Rio, Sauo Paulo and Buenos Aires would proudly disagree). Nonetheless, any of these great cities could serve as my stopping grounds anytime. Great cities are like great people, always engaging always fun and leave you wanting more. So here's to Brandon, and the rest of the family who are living the "Champange Life". "Let's Toast it UP!!" . Photos from Miami (here).

It's Nice to be Home

I told someone recently that there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. During the last couple weeks Claudette hooked us up with some really fabulous accomodations in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. All those places were comfortable and offered almost any ammenity one could wish for but the bottom line is home is where the heart is and my heart has always been in Georgia. We have been to the four corners of the globe but after you've seen the wonders of the world there is always one additional sight which brings joy and that is returning through customs in the ATL.

So as we sat on the deck this afternoon, we realized that we live a blessed life. So here's to the "Champange Life". So let toast it up(Photo).

I say all the time, "You really don't know how big our country is until you travel from one end to the other". Not only is the country big but Texas is a country onto itself. During our time in Dallas we visited the new Cowboy stadium which is absolutely everything a stadium can be. I hate the dreaded Cowboys with a passion but I must give them there props when it comes to their facilities. (See Photos Here) . We also visited the Texas School Book Depository, where Lee Harvey Oswald fired those infamous shots. To me it underscored what hate can accomplish by just one person (or small cadre of people depending on your conspiracy thoughts). Claudette selected some outstanding hotels as usual and we discovered some great eating place. Ken Rathburn's ABACUS stands out as the highlight. The Buffalo Soldiers  have taken on the legendary status of the Tuskegee Airman in recent years so it was great to see this great tribute to the Black Cowboys with the Dallas skyline as a back drop.(See Here)

We caught an afternoon train to OKC and got to meet and talk to passengers who were enroute to a small town south of Oklahoma City. The conversations were interesting and we got to see how varied and yet how much we have in common. I'll talk about OKC in a later post.

https://picasaweb.google.com/darrelldudley/DallasBlackCowboys#slideshow/5596128241864204242

Miami (Celebrating January Birthdays)

Check out the Miami Photos

Over the weekend of the 29th we travelled to the beautiful city of Miami. Spent a little time at South Beach, got to see where the "rich and famous" live and soak in some marvellous Latin culture and food. Miami is truly a unique American city. Everytime we go we always say. "When we come back we are going to have to do this or do that." It appears the list grows each time.

New Years Eve 2011

This year we decided to travel a short distance from Peachtree City to Mid-Town Atlanta to the Four Seasons Hotel. Whenever we spend the night in an Atlanta hotel we try to take on a visitor's persona and do things we don't routinely do in the ATL.  We really acted like tourists. We spent the afternoon at the Salvador Dali exhibit which we have seen at least twice already. Then we went back to hotel and  took a nap. At 9 o'clock we had dinner in the Park 7 restaurant where the meal was extraordinary and the service impeccable and perfectly paced. We finished dinner about 11:30. The band was great as we danced through dinner. As a teenager, I worked at this Jewish country club in North Atlanta called the "Standard Club" and I would watch what I thought were wealthy patrons eat, drink and dance their way through the night. I believed that they were special and  I was there to serve and facilitate their happiness. I never thought that I would ever have the means or the opportunity to partake in such gala events. Here we were, two Grady babies, dressed to the nines and  feeling like we were on a movie set creating our own movie. God is good and the world does turn. Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves to make sure that we are not dreaming. The older I get and  the more I travel, I realize how blessed we are in this country and how far we have come. I think sometimes we forget that 150 years ago (four or five generations ago) our ancestors were slaves.That 80 years ago or less most of our ancestors were share croppers and lived in rural America and that 50 years ago Jim Crow laws were in full force and people like the former Governor of Georgia, Lester Maddox, could stand in the door way of his Atlanta restaurant  and say, "no Blacks allowed". On this last day of 2010, we had only traveled about 30 miles in distance, but in our hearts and spirits we had traveled through time and memories we thought we had forgotten.

Happy New Year!