Hey Everyone,
Lots to talk about today. It was a great trip to AAPEX, I'm back in the office, & Eddie has returned from Vegas with car in tow. I flew out Sunday night, Nov. 1 and arrived in Vegas late. Monday morning we moved into the show, Todd Veney arrived from Indy. Todd helped us set up and had his first opportunity to get behind the wheel of the racecar, where he was pushed through the convention center to the booth. Monday night Todd & I went to a dinner hosted by Permatex at Smith & Wollensky-a world renowned steak house. The best filet I've ever had! I'm no food connoisseur but everyone else at the table agreed. Great food, great company, great night! No gambling that night, off to bed for all. Tuesday we were up & at the show by 9:30, meeting & greeting customers and introducing Todd to Permatex & Wynn's folks. John Force, Robert Hight, & Ashley Force Hood stopped by the booth and John in his usual great humor had everybody laughing. It was great to see them all and have the chance to congratulate them on their successes and Roberts possible and hopeful championship. Todd & I went out Tuesday evening for dollar beers at Casino Royale. We met a lovely couple from Philly (they stopped at the Permatex booth on Thursday to say hi) and hung out for awhile. Went and got some dinner and again, bed early. No gambling for us! Wednesday was much of the same, spent the day at the show, met with some good friends at Clevite, and spoke with our friends at Wynn Oil. Todd flew home Wednesday afternoon. Tom Dobruck and I stopped and had a couple beers after the show closed for the evening. Then, my wonderful wife Ann showed up. Wow, a much better roommate than Todd for sure! Ann & I went to dinner at a Mexican joint and had amazing guacamole & chips. Called it an early night as Ann had been traveling from the East all day. Aaand....again.....no gambling! Thursday down on the show floor by 9:30 again for the last day of the show. Eddie & I took a quick trip across town to the SEMA Show, where we visited our friends & supporters at Meguiar's & ARP. We were out of time and had to rush back to AAPEX to move out of the show. The show ended at 5pm, we loaded the racecar into the trailer, and sent Eddie on his way back East. I hung out with Tom as they closed up the booth. I met up with Ann for a nice dinner and then called it a night. That's right....no gambling. Friday we slept in and Ann and I kicked around the strip, got tickets to see Jay Leno that night, and visited the wildlife sanctuary at the Mirage where they have dolphins, white lions, & tigers. It's amazing to think that lions & tigers make their home in the middle of the Las Vegas strip, in their own little world. That night we went to the Leno comedy show, which was absolutely terrific. After the show, we hung around the back door to wait to meet Jay Leno. Thanks to Ann, we found the right spot and were able to meet him and have our picture taken. I took the opportunity to pass him some info on Follow A Dream, maybe we'll get an invitation to the show. By this time it was early Saturday morning, time for bed and up early for flight home. I got out of Vegas without losing a dime.....again....thats right.....no gambling. Ann & I arrived home Saturday evening where Marybeth & friends picked us up at the airport. Back to our crazy schedules and the lives of our busy teenagers. Have been working in the office the last couple of days, catching up and gearing up for PRI and the 2010 season.
Thanks for checking back, will post early next week.
Jay
