This was definitely one of THE MOST fun things I’ve ever done on four wheels!  Tom, Doug, and I went to F1 Boston, which is the area’s premier indoor go kart racing facility, and it was an amazing experience.  I expected it to be fun, but I had no idea HOW much fun!

We signed in, got our racing suits and helmets, and then sat through a short training video.  The races are scheduled ten minutes apart, and they have an area where you can watch the current race while waiting for your race to set up.  When our names went up on the board, the track manager signaled for us to head out to the pits to find our karts and get settled in for the start of the race.  Once we were underway, we had one slow lap before getting the green flag.  Then it was pedal down!

The track we raced on was called the “city” track (I have no idea why) and it was a wonderful combination of challenging corners that included an uphill straightaway, a diving hairpin curve, and a chicane with a blind exit.

The track is only a quarter mile overall, but a lap takes twenty to thirty seconds to complete.  Each race was 15 laps and we were drained after each one.  I still can’t believe what a blast it was – the carts were fast, very responsive, and handled like they were running on rails.  My top speed was almost 40MPH and my best lap was 22.758 seconds, which was only 4.3 seconds off the track lap record.  I was quite pleased with myself, especially since it was my first time!

I was a bit surprised at how much effort it took to handle the karts.  When you are running flat out and start turning in to a corner, you realize real quick how much effort it takes to turn the steering wheel and hold a line through the apex and out the other side.  And when you’re racing wheel to wheel with anywhere from four to ten other karts, the level of concentration required is immense.  It really gives you a good feel for what real motor racing is all about.

I will definitely go back.  It isn’t cheap, but it is just too much fun.  And it was a great primer for the go kart track I’ll be going to at Phillips Island in Melbourne.  Oh, have I failed to mention our trip to Australia in March?  That will be another post.  Stay tuned!

Well, we did it – we pulled of the surprise of the year.  Barb's brothers and I had been planning a big surprise birthday celebration for her and I'm happy to say that it went off without a hitch.  She had no idea!

We arranged it so they would all fly in to Logan on Tuesday – Doug flew from California to Colorado, met up with Tom, and they flew to Boston together.  Chuck and Sheila flew in from Cleveland and landed about a half hour after Doug and Tom.  I was incredibly nervous all day wondering if the flights were going to get delayed or cancelled – especially since Logan Airport was completely shut down from the big Nor'Easter just the day before!  But I was tracking both flights and was able to breathe a sigh of relief when I saw that they were both in the air.  Once they landed, they got a rental car and drove to a restaurant in Hopkinton where the entire staff was clued in to what was happening.  And all the while Chuck and I were texting back and forth so we knew who was where.  Once I got the word that they were at the restaurant, Barb and I headed out for a "casual" birthday dinner.  We went in, I said I had a reservation for two, and they took us upstairs.  We were seated and looking at the menu when all four of them came into the dining room singing Happy Birthday!  It was amazingly smooth and Barb was stunned.

I still can't believe that we actually coordinated and pulled the whole thing off without Barb having the slightest clue.  I've never done a big surprise like this before – and I really didn't think that it could be done – especially with people coming from three different parts of the country!

Now I can sit back and relax, bask in our success, and enjoy the rest of the vacation!

It’s been a wonderful holiday so far and still one more week before returning to work!  Barb and I have had a really nice Christmas holiday – lots of time together, good food, good wine, and… SNOW!!!

Believe it or not, somewhere underneath that pile is a pickup truck! (click to enlarge the image)

It started yesterday morning, snowed all night, and it is still coming down this morning.  It looks like about nine or ten inches so far, but after all the shoveling my back says it feels more like twenty!