Vacation?

I returned from a week out of state last Tuesday. Although a good portion of the time was supposed to be a vacation, it seemed anything but. I wanted to have the entire time to do whatever, but people wanted to set schedules, etc. I did enjoy a nice round of golf at Wetherington CC. I tied my career low round with a 67...not bad for a course I've never seen. I was very disappointed in the hotels that we stayed at. Although they were supposed to be 3 - 3.5 stars, I didn't care for them. I was especially disappointed in the Cleveland Airport Marriott. I was hoping to see a lot more houses in the Cincinnati area, but only got to spend a few hours on Sunday looking. I didn't have a good idea of where the open houses were, so it turned out to be a lot of wasted time. Next time, I've got to go by myself and schedule a lot more golf.

Losing It

Things are really starting to get to me. Perhaps it's because we have a house full of people and there are so many competing demands. Perhaps it's the stress of dealing with the loss of Willie, Rarit, and Richard. Perhaps it's the uncertainty of Recom's future. But, whatever the reason, I'm finding it more and more difficult to deal with the constant and continuous problems that come up. I'm simply getting tired of hearing nothing but complaining, whether it's Sean computer-playing or Jennifer's rearranging the house, or Jessica's dental problems. I am going to have to the computer away from Sean forever. I just called Sean and let him know. Of course, he's not happy. But, I don't care. It's become the source of too much frustration to allow him to continue to live on it.

I need some serious time away from the house, family, and work.

I miss you, Willie

I am really feeling bad today. It just came on me all of a sudden. I was reading about a man who went to Camp Lejeune to welcome his son's battalion home. He son was in that battalion but had been killed in Iraq. The article talked of the Marines coming up to this man one at a time and expressing their thoughts about his son. It reminded me so much of Willie's funeral. I haven't cried like this for a couple of months.

I miss you, Willie.

Is the State Culpable

About a month after the traffic accident, I went to the scene to better understand how the accident might have occurred. The accident report from the Highway Patrol didn't give me the understanding that I needed.

Sean and I drove the route that Rarit would have been driving. We were entering the Northbound I-5 ramp at about 5:15 which would have been two hours earlier than when Rarit would have entered. The sun was directly above the sun visor and directly on line with the direction I was heading into the on-ramp. I saw no sign indicating that the on-ramp was about to make a sharp right-hand turn. I saw no speed limit sign.

It was very easy to see what might have happened. Rarit entered the northbound on-ramp from west-bound Magic Mountain Parkway. She was probably traveling at 40-50 mph when she entered the on-ramp. The ramp was really just a slight right-hand veer from Magic Mountain Parkway. About 100 yards (or less) into the on-ramp, the road turns sharply (80-90 degrees) to the right. Rarit would not have seen this if she were struggling with the sun in her eyes. And, since she had not driven this route before would not have known that the road would be turning. When she realized that the road was turning she obviously turned hard to the right in order to avoid going over a slight bern and directly onto I-5. When she made the hard right-hand turn, she turned too far and now faced a concrete barrier that she then had to make a hard left-hand turn to avoid. This then put her back in the same direction as before which was almost perpendicular to the freeway. However, at this point she was right on the left hand side of the freeway. And unfortunately, there was no time for her to stop before entering into the traffice lanes.

It seems to me that the design and layout of this on-ramp was the primary cause of the accident. Yes, if Rarit had been driving slower she might have been able to stop short of the freeway. However, I didn't see anything at this on-ramp that would have made her think that she needed to be traveling less than 30 mph. There was no warning that the on-ramp had a sharp turn on it.

I wonder who I should talk to, to see if there is anything I can do to prevent this from happening again. I wonder if it has happened in the past.