Sarah Too

I wanted to write this post for the last month! Life way got in the way of those plans, however, and I'm hoping this Labor Day Weekend I can play catch up.

At the end of July, The Mister and I joined the Mister’s clan for a family reunion on the Oregon Coast, and it was a week filled with family, fun, and adventure. Our trip started on a Saturday with a drive up to St. Paul, MN. The Mister flew stand-by, so in our planning it made more sense to fly out of St. Paul – that way he would have more options for getting out to Portland during these busy summer vacation months. I had a paid ticket with Southwest. More on that situation, later.

So I’m totally procrastinating on a GREAT many things by updating my blog, but goodness, it is just so much more exciting recapping these last few weeks! And I feel like life is whooooshing by, without even the slightest chance of recognizing just how great it is RIGHT NOW. The wheel in the sky keeps on turning, and it will be my turn to experience some of life’s rain clouds eventually, so I want to soak up the sun while it is shining.

Last weekend, a dear friend of mine came into town for a visit. There is nothing I love more than visitors. [I am not even being sarcastic!!!] It is a chance to show off my great town and to act like a tourist myself.

Karin flew in on Saturday, and after getting her settled in, we took off for lunch at Diner 437. Everything on the menu looks phenomenal. The first time I went there, another friend and I shared a couple of dishes – the Honey Roasted Vegetables Sandwich and the LBT (Lobster, Bacon, and Tomato) Sandwich. Fantastic taste sensation!! And the fries I think have crack in them. I’m not a huge fry fan, but these things, I eat like they are going out of style. They rival the garlic parmesan fries over at The Parkshore Grill. Good thing I already ate today, otherwise I would be drooling right now! Anyway, on this trip I settled on Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich, which was another delicious score. Karin had the Seared Tuna Club Sandwich, but ruined it by having the tuna cooked medium rare. Oh Karin. You have some things to learn about good fish. Numero uno is not overcooking it. But I digress. I always forget about this place – it opened relatively recently – and I really think I need to make my way through the rest of the menu!

Because I went to the U2 concert the night before, and just returned from a week out on the West Coast, the rest of the afternoon was pretty chill. It included a nap, some laundry, and a trip to Target. [It can’t all be exciting!!]

Good food should always be followed up with more good food. That evening we motored over the bridge to Tampa to Luigi’s where Jacob, Karin, and I had a fantastic dinner. I pass by Luigi’s frequently during my inter-zip code travels and it always looks like it might be good. Thankfully, Luigi’s recently got a good write up in the Tampa Tribune, which confirmed my hunch. When I got inside, I loved it – lots of booths, with cozy comfort lighting. Not too dim, and not too bright. Karin and I ordered a bottle of pinot noir and zeroed in on the menu, which has all the favorites – pizza, pasta, antipasto…Yum is the word! The pre-order bread and dipping sauce was so enticing, I was almost stuffed with bread before the meal began. Almost stuffed. Jacob and I housed The Italian Way pizza, while Karin scarfed down the cheese ravioli (which has SHRIMP in it). We even had leftovers, but only a few nibbles that we HAD to save.

We closed out our night at a well-worn South Tampa favorite, The Dubliner. And Shipyard's Pumpkin Ale is back in season -- oh happy pint!!! The next morning, Karin and I enjoyed a relaxed wake-up pace. A little sleeping in, a little Sex and the City on the TV, and a little cup of joe before gearing up for breakfast and a day at the beach. Once the two of us finally woke all the way up and were ready to face the public, we headed over to Dave's Restaurant. My favorite neighborhood cash-only greasy spoon. For five bucks, you got yourself a cup of coffee and a bagel sandwich. I didn't say you got served super fast, but who doesn't get happy once the bacon arrives??

Fueled up and feelin' beachy, Karin and I headed for Treasure Island on a what was one helluva a glorious day -- a perfect advertisement for why Florida rocks. The air was balmy, but not overbearing. The sun was shining without a cloud in the sky, and the water was perfectly refreshing -- not too hot, and not too frigid. As Goldilocks would say, it was "just right." And my God, did the wildlife put on a show for us! Pelicans, terns, and seagulls diving for bait fish swimming in the surf. A pod of playful dolphins jumping and skimming their way south, within what felt like arms' reach of the shoreline. Other "wildlife" included skimpy-shorted older men doing calisthenics down the beach. Always a sight to behold. It was, in short, a perfect beach day. We read trashy magazines, walked down the beach, cooled off in the surf, and lounged in the sun. It prepped us oh-so-well for a crazy night out on the town...

...or not. In reality, Karin and I cleaned up after the beach, and took our time getting down to a favorite restaurant (Backfin Blue) in an oft-forgotten part of town (Gulfport). That poor, beleaguered fish, Grouper, was the fresh catch of the day, and I could not resist ordering it encrusted in macadamia nuts! Karin had her grouper topped with crabmeat, asparagus, and HOLLANDAISE. I had a long internal debate about which grouper dish to order, and we decided to split the difference. We both came out winners, and followed our winning entrees up with a winning dessert -- Key Lime Pie. SO good -- one of the best I've had in recent memory.

After dinner, we kept our mellow evening going with a movie on the couch. The next day, I took Karin to her parents, where she would spend the rest of her time in Florida. Her visit was so fun because not only did I get to catch up with a dear friend, I got to jaunt around town to some of my favorite, less frequently visited places. Even though I live within minutes of the beach, I rarely get out there for the day. All the everyday comings and goings seem to prevent most weekends from shaping up into one as great as this. So thank you Karin, for providing an opportunity for me to slow down, smell the roses, and be a tourist in my own backyard. I feel like I caught my breath for a moment, and I hope you did, too.

Despite a somber beginning, my trip to the Oregon Coast with Jacob and his parents was wonderful. And, as if the Pacific Northwest sensed my cynicism regarding the weather, the clouds parted and the sun shone the entire trip. I don’t know how a soul could not be rejuvenated by, among other great things, snow-capped mountain vistas, craggy coastlines, crashing waves, and…cheese.

Day 1

On Sunday, we began near Seattle, and made our way south on I-5 toward the Oregon Coast. Around lunchtime, we pulled off I-5 onto State Highway 504 to stop at the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake . We watched a brief movie cataloguing the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens from its tremulous beginning to its still lingering aftermath. Jacob’s Mom provided first-hand accounts of the soot and ash that rained down over central Washington following the eruption, of the damage wreaked on Spirit Lake where she used to vacation in summer with her family, and of the mounds of ash dredged from rivers choked with debris, which slid down the broken-apart mountainside. Nature certainly has its way of putting us humans in our place.

The visitor center was a nice break from the road, and the weather was so clear that I could see the snow-topped, gouged-out peak of Mount St. Helens. I stupidly left the camera in the car, so no visuals. We hit up Subway for before making our way back to I-5, then south along the shore of the Columbia River, toward Oregon. We passed through Portland, then joined up with Route 18, which led us west across the Willamette Valley – Oregon’s Wine Country (there are more than 200 wineries here). I think the next time I drive through, I should be on a party bus with a tasting itinerary and a vocab consisting of the terms “oaky”, “earthy”, “fruity”, “dry”, and “bouquet”. I’m sure cheese needs to be in there somewhere, too, but more on that later…

In the late afternoon, we finally roll up to the beach house in Lincoln City, Oregon. Jacob’s Dad made me wait outside until he could perfect the ambiance necessary for my entrance – namely roll up the shades so I could see the beautiful view of the crashing waves through the full-length windows facing the sea. Here, you can see it too.

The rest of the evening was spent settling in and recovering from a long day in the car. Good thing it is baseball and football season. Why watch the sea when there is ESPN?

Day 2

I love, love, LOVE waking up on vacation. It may be early, it may be late. Regardless, an alarm clock is not involved – just circadian rhythms at work. Jacob and I began our day with a beach workout – running barefoot and doing some push-ups, sit-ups, and planks. My boot camp instructor would be so proud! Too bad this was not really the level of morning activity I kept up for the rest of my stay in Pacific Standard Time. Well, too bad for my instructor. Blissfully wonderful for me. Let me tell you, though, that Pacific sand is freaking COLD! My feet were uncomfortably numb for the first half of the workout, then for the continuous run back they settled into comfortably numb. The hot shower back at the ranch felt like a dream!!

In the afternoon, we hopped in the car and drove a few miles north to Cascade Head Trail, which is a nice wooded trail leading up to the switchbacks that take you to the top of the headland. The view is absolutely spectacular!! Check it out:

Again with the fantastic weather, Pacific Northwest! I think your PR person might need to be fired, because all I ever hear about is cold, wet, and windy. Maybe you like it that way…keep all your good stuff hidden.

After the hike, we headed back to the ranch and my dogs were barkin’. It was only 6:30 PM, and I was cooked for the night. Dinner was Spring Fiesta, which involves a lot of fresh avocado and a whole bunch of other vegetable goodness. Monday night football with Brett Favre was dessert (or golden Oreos, whichever floats your boat). With the morning workout, the reading of books, the watching of waves, and the steep hike up and down the trail, I turned in relatively early, happy with the thought that I had no particular schedule for the next day, either.

Day 3 – Day of Cheese…and Beer

After a lazy start (for me, at least – some folks still go to work out on vacation), and after ogling some WHALES from the window, Jacob’s Mom and I toodled down the coast to Depoe Bay and Cape Foulweather for some light souvenir shopping and sightseeing. Upon our return, we started our great journey to the infamous Tillamook Cheese Factory. Tillamook is about 45 minutes north of Lincoln City, and apparently home to a great many high quality, well-fed jersey cows, which provide the best raw ingredient available for delicious-tasting CHEESE.

We started with the self-guided tour. Actually we started with a photo-op:

Because we were a twee bit hungry, and we knew cheese was on the menu, we kind of breezed through the tour. We saw the gloved and hair-netted, white-coated employees checking each baby loaf of cheese as they plopped the huge bricks of cheese on the conveyor belt, before each loaf got shrink wrapped and labeled. We also saw the display on Tilly (or is it “Tillie") the jersey cow – a mascot of sorts.

It reminded me of my Mom’s crazy ass story about “DeeDee Discount,” the three-legged dairy cow that Danny Wegman used to make Wegmans dairy products. Seriously, you’ll have to get her to tell you that story sometime. The genesis of that tale was Dad’s predilection for buying the store brand versus name brand. And if a cheese factory can be a tourist destination, then I think Wegmans should be one as well. I shopped and worked at that grocery store and nothing – NOTHING – comes close to the wonder of that place. If you have one near you, I envy you. I just don’t really envy the weather that surrounds any given Wegmans store. But, I wouldn’t mind going to the Scranton, PA store where I might have a chance of running into Michael Scott and company, filling up on Woo Pop.

Anyway, where were we? Right. Tillamook. Freakin’ A – they give you FREE samples! UNSUPERVISED! I can have as many free cheese curds and cubes of Horseradish Chedder, Hot Habanero Chedder, or Sharp Chedder as I freaking want!! Follow that up by making a bee line straight through the gift shop to the Farmhouse Café, where you can order up a tasty cup of coffee, a kick-ass grilled cheese sandwich, and a steaming cup of chowder. THEN, follow that up with some of the BEST tasting ice cream on this PLANET. I went for the Tillamook Mudslide, and next time I think in lieu of lunch, I will go for the flavor sampler – you get all 36 flavors for about $25.

Full up on dairy goodness, we waddled back to the car with our beefstick souvenirs (think of a 3 foot long Slim Jim) and drove south to Cape Meares Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge. We parked at the trailhead and walked down the drive to the viewing areas and the lighthouse. Again, the weather allowed for breathtaking views of the coastal scenery…

Our visit was a little shorter than planned, as lunch took us later into the day than anticipated, and we still had a tall sand dune to climb. We hoofed our way back to the trailhead, then continued south in the car for Pacific City.

Jacob told me before of the standing competition between him and his father, which is a race to the top of the Cape Kiwanda sand dune near Pacific City. On this trip, the two of them invited me to the race. Based on Jacob’s description, I have an image of what this dune might look like in my head. I’ve been to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, so I’ve seen some serious sand dunes before, and I imagined it would be something akin to that. My imagination, however, failed me for when I saw the actual sand dune we were to race up.

The picture barely even does this thing justice. Look at how small that truck in the distance is, compared to the dune! It only gets more daunting the closer you get. Once the starting count was finished, I took off into the lead. ROOKIE MISTAKE. Twenty seconds in, and maybe a third of the way up the dune, I was sucking wind like an out-of-shape cop chasing down a fleet young purse-snatcher on foot. Jacob moved into the lead – bent in two and basically crawling up the dune on all fours like a bear. Jacob’s Dad steadily made headway, leaving me gasping, step by backsliding step, the rest of the way to the top. It was a tight finish at the end, with Jacob’s Dad nipping at Jacob’s heals with a late surge, but Jacob was able to stretch himself to a win. All that lung crushing work gets you a STUNNING reward.

Plus, there is beer at the bottom of that hill – microbrews for everyone at the Pelican Brewery. Jacob’s mom scored us a nice table window with a view of Haystack Rock (or “Gorilla Rock”).

Haystack Rock is one of four such rocks that dot the Pacific Coast. Once I was seated, I scored myself a nice Tsunami Stout. I used some big gulps to wash down some bits of the sand dune that I took with me.

When we finally returned to the house, we wound down the night with an epic game of Hearts. I finished in second place, and no one got to Shoot the Moon. That’s what happens when the competition is fierce.

Day 4

The final day of vacation always seems so glum. Like you’re trying to enjoy the last moments of freedom, but ultimately, you know you’re counting down to leaving. Yuck. The morning was foggy and gray, too, so that didn’t help too much. The first time during my whole visit that the Pacific NW weather was what its PR agent touted it as – cloudy and wet. It was at least a comfortable temperature.

Jacob and I took the day to do the town. We started with coffee and pastries as 101 Inspirations. The coffee shop is attached to an antiques store, which is actually a hodge-podge of items you would find at a garage sale. Lots of posters of Marilyn Monroe, some large figurines of Betty Boop, including one where she is dressed as a Devil Vixen with a tail coming out of her back, and lots of piles of old dusty magazines. Freaky store, yummy coffee. After that warm up, we headed to the outlet mall, just down the road. We both found some things to buy, which left us hungry and thirsty.

It all comes down to food, doesn’t it? It is our fuel, and it is an experience. Just ask Anthony Bourdain (I love him, don’t you?). Anyway, Oregon and the Pacific NW, in general, is chock full of microbreweries. Throw a rock and…So we hit up McMenamin’s Lighthouse Brewpub. We split the gyro sandwich and a pizza. I had the Black Rabbit Porter because cooler temperatures make me love thick, dark beer. By the time lunch was over, though, the sun was out and shining, so on the way back to the house, we stopped down at the beach. The water on the west coast is effing freezing, though, and any efforts to frolic in the foam fell flat. [Uh, by the way, how do you like THAT alliteration going on in that sentence!??! Ridiculous…and I didn’t even TRY!! Back to regular programming…]

We got back to the house to chill out before heading over to a dinner hosted by friends of Jacob’s parents. Our hosts treated us to a delicious dinner of baked salmon (YUM!), wild rice, steamed veggies, wine, and engrossing conversation at their well-appointed home. Player piano, anyone? Too bad our evening had to be an early one, as we all still had to pack and get to bed. We had a wake-up call of 2 AM coming our way. Oh yay.

Day 5

You know, with only 3 hours of sleep, I should keep going under day 4. Three hours of sleep is more like a brief, mid-afternoon nap on a Sunday, if you ask me. Not a night of sleep. We had to be up this early because our flight was at 6 AM out of the Portland airport, which is about 2 and half hours away from Lincoln City. So I dragged my ass out of bed, hefted my luggage out the door, and promptly tried to fall asleep again as we made our way back through wine county to the airport.

The flights home were pretty innocuous. I was, however, sandwiched in a middle seat of the 5 hour connecting flight from Denver to Tampa. I sat between Tall Drink of Water, Jacob, on one side and Large Expanding Man Who Couldn’t Get the Armrest All the Way Down on the other. I think my neck has a permanent crick in it from trying to sleep without touching Large Expanding Man. Home by 6 PM, I tried to get to bed early-ish so I could rest of for my next adventure. Stay tuned, because that report is coming up shortly.

I meant to make this post back in June. Clearly, it just didn't happen. Now, I've got some time, and I'm making up for it! Enjoy this post, as well as the next couple of ones to come...


Another friend turns 30. Thank God they are all doing it before me!! It softens the blow, and kind of lulls me into thinking I am already 30. I've got a couple months more to go before I hit that milestone (landmine?). Anyway, 30 is a pretty big deal to us humans -- it feels like an appropriate moment to look back and forward, and to share with your favorite people -- so at the close of May, Karin and I converged upon Katie in Gainesville, the sleepy town that is home to the Florida Gators. If you weren't a fan of the Gators before going to Gainesville (like me), you're less of a fan once you see the Gator mailboxes and orange and blue gas stations. It's not like there is much going on in G'ville, other than the most AWESOME pizza parlor and junk emporium I have EVER been to in my life. Satchel's is not only awesome atmosphere, but an awesome blend of kitschy eclectica. I seriously wish St. Pete had the same kind of place because then, my town might be close to being a 10. Clearly, there was no other choice than to hit Satchel's for dinner before going out on the town (for the first time that weekend). Satchel's did not disappoint.

After dropping off the Satchel's leftovers at Casa de Katie, we headed out to downtown G'ville where we met up with more kindred folk to continue the celebration. At the first bar, there was a band that was completely, and surprisingly, amazing (think NPR All-Songs-Considered fare, and then smile because it is good fare). I was impressed, and energized. As the set ended, Katie downed her midnight birthday shot, then our merry group ambled onto to The Top. On our way, we negotiated a free birthday weiner for Katie from a sidewalk vendor of processed meats. Apparently, processed meats do not rise to the top of Katie's favorites list, and the bite we egged her to take, was not a delicious bite. [And here is where Katie and I differ. I love me some street vendor hot dogs, sausages, kielbasa, what have you, especially late at night after a few cheaply priced beers. What doesn't taste better? Well, OTHER than a hot dog at the ball park?!?]

I hit my wall at The Top. I had driven up from St. Pete straight after working a full day, and I was wiped. I was falling asleep on my bar stool, and I couldn't concentrate enough to hear the conversation over the background din. Yet, somehow, we made it to last call before calling it a night.


Hey, good thing the neighbor in the apartment downstairs knew that we had gone out for a late night!! Because what says "Good Morning" like blasting the effing Bee Gees' "Night Fever" at 7:51 AM?!!?? And better yet, let's repeat the song, then follow it up with John Travolta's theme song from "Saturday Night Fever"?!? Disco usually doesn't make me so cranky, but at 8 AM, it's a different story. I ended up falling back asleep, only to awake distraught from the throes of a thoroughly upsetting dream. Good thing I had my best girls and a day at the beach to brighten my mood.

After a quick breakfast, and packing up supplies, Katie, Karin, and I hit the back roads of northern Florida, headed for the beaches of St. Augustine, FL, the oldest city in the U.S. Juan Ponce de Leon set foot there in 1518 (I'm pretty sure), where he discovered The Fountain of Youth (and we'll get to that later). In about 2 hours, the three of us were bathing beauties on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The water temperature is perfect this time of year. Cold enough to be a bit a of a struggle, if you just wade in, but wonderfully refreshing once you're in it, basking in the sun and hot air. St. Augustine is a beautiful beach. It's pretty flat and firm, so you can ride bikes along it, and in places, even drive your car right up on the beach and park for the day. We kept it simple with beach towels, sarongs, and a cooler.


We got our fill of the beach, then headed over to our hotel to check in. We scored a pretty great deal at the Quality Inn, where we got ready for dinner, drinks, and dessert. We ate a New Orleans flavored meal at Harry's, then headed over to The Tini Martini for some potent drinks and gifts.

After gifts, giggling, and gabbing, we felt it was time for some ice cream. We grabbed the last few scoops from Whetstone Ice Cream. Ice cream in a waffle cone is better than birthday cake, if you ask me. I'm not the birthday girl (yet), but I think Katie felt the same. We drifted off to bed knowing it was our last night in St. Augustine, and the next day would be filled with travel home; however, the long goodbye would not begin before we tasted the water from the Fountain of Youth.

My God. Where do I begin? We are all tourists at some point or another, and we all love a good attraction. The Fountain of Youth has to be the most GLORIOUSLY tacky spectacle I have ever seen; this INCLUDES South Carolina's way over-hyped South of the Border. [The only other destination I have been to that might rival it -- Spongeorama in Tarpon Springs. Oh yeah, you read right.] We arrived at the Fountain of Youth via streets lined with Spanish moss-encrusted trees and a lovely arched sign.


With an entrance like that, the Fountain of Youth has GOT to be something great, right? You have NO idea...Armed with our coupons for $1 off the admission price, we paid the fee, and entered the site of Ponce de Leon's miraculous discovery. Peacocks abound on the property, which rolls right up to the Intracoastal Waterway.


I hadn't seen this many peacocks since my days living in Miami, when I would see them toodling around Coconut Grove in the mornings during my runs. They are beautiful...and loud, sqawking little birds. I kept a safe distance in case one should decide to start pecking at me. Thank you Mom for having me watch Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds at such a young age. I forever fear the pecking of birds.

I know, you're all just WAITING for the big reveal -- the great, and mighty Fountain of Youth. Let me tell you, it's beyond any sort of tacky you can imagine. You enter, and this is what you see:

Oh yeah. Plastic manikins, plastic flowers, painted murals, Christmas lights, and the lovely fountain itself is about 2 feet wide with some nasty tasting, very minerally water. I got asked if I was 23 at a bar the other night, and I still get carded for alcohol, so maybe the water really does have restorative powers. Maybe.

After tasting the water of youth, us gals tooled around the rest of the property until it got a little too hot (and a little buggy). We checked out the uber-tacky gift shop, and debated over magnets, shot glasses, and perhaps purchasing some bottle youth water.

As always, I'll end my post about a (not-so-) far-off place by saying that I wish I had more time there. It never seems that a city opens itself up to you until you spend at least a week there; and it that time it either lulls you into thinking you've only scratched the surface (and you need to stay longer to discover all its secrets), or you've had enough and it's time to discover new place to explore. St. Augustine made me feel the former, and I hope I'll take another road trip - this time to become more than just an acquaintance with this old city.