Okay... it's been a while. To summarise, ... anniversary ... rugby... bike riding... camping...Camping... Last weekend Steph, Ashley, Kerry, Jeff, Frankie, Greg, a few of Greg's buddies and myself went camping... we travelled two hours north of New York, to a nice little mountain camping ground. It was heaps of fun, and a great change of pace. Frankie (Kerry & Jeff's dog) went for a swim in the lake, we hiked through the mountain, then sat around the fire and drank beer... although I did not appropriately represent my people. I drank beer then fell asleep in a hammock ... on second thought, maybe I did represent.
Bike ride... another notable event (and very athletic) was last weekend when steph and I decided we'd spend the sunday welcoming summer in New York by riding bikes around manhattan. We rented bikes from 14th street and rode down the east river to battery park then up the hudson river to west village, where we had lunch. We finished with a trip across town to the United Nations building.
Thirdly I've been playing rugby... well in the spring season anyway. I've been playing for the Village Lions. We've played a touring team from Montreal, and had a road trip to connecticut, hudson valley, and jersey. The club is a great bunch of guys, and the coach seems to know his stuff, plus the few drinking sessions I've been to have been a blast. I've spent most of my time playing at 12 for the 1sts but despite my size, I think I'd like to keep pushing for a go at no8. I always liked playing in the forwards more.
Finally, Steph and I had our anniversary. We rented a historic cottage in the catskill mountains north of new york city. It was the very end of winter so the snow on the ground had largely melted and the ice covering the nearby Mohonk lake had begun to thaw. It felt like the first time since last summer we had been outdoors. The area reminds me of the southern highlands in NSW.
Up next... Lucy's visit to NYC!, Stephs Birthday, & Greece!
The final night of the conference was a black tie awards dinner, where American Express awarded its highest performers (not me). I wore a real bow tie (i.e not a clip on), and I tied it myself. Totally James Bond (ish). The photo below is myself and my boss Carl Rae, with Leslie and Margeax two NY sales managers who were seated at our table.
On the second day of our visit we ventured out of dubai to a desert resort called "Bab Al Shams". Where we rode camels, ate indian food, and enjoyed the sun.
