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This is a Sentimental Post
Thursday, August 2, 2018
I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to this year's summer break from school. I feared I was in for 2 1/2 months of constant bickering between my boys. I haven't loved tiny house living either. But the Lord works in mysterious ways and I find myself full of absolute gratitude for the summer the boys and I have had.
Labels: family, friends, motherhood, my life, travels | 0 comments | |
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Family Vacation Experience
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
This month, The Mister, Bman, and I experienced our first full-on family vacation. It was a learning experience, to say the least. On the whole, the trip went well and we made some wonderful memories in one of my most favorite places on Earth.
Sunset from our cottage deck
Labels: 1000 Islands, Bman, motherhood, my life, travels | 0 comments | |
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River Fever and Going Home
Sunday, August 9, 2015
At the end of this week, the Mister, Bman, and I are going to my heart's physical home. We head to the St. Lawrence, to a beautiful region called The 1000 Islands, where the river water is clear, the nights are cool, and the days are nothing short of magical. My family has vacationed there for 3, now FOUR, generations. In honor of this momentous pilgrammage, here is a reprint of an untitled short descriptive essay I penned when I was in middle school. It is about my grandparents' cottage on Tar Island on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence. It was a place of many happy memories for my family and me. Enjoy the flowery language!Photo credit: Joseph T. Meirose IV, Full Framework Photography
Labels: 1000 Islands, my life, travels | 0 comments | |
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I Heart Chicago
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Chicago Skyline at sunset.
I really have to thank my friend Amanda for moving to Chicago, and then I have to thank God we live in a place so close to this wonderful city. As you may recall, Amanda moved to Chi-town in August 2008. Since then, I have been to this city 6 times. I fell deeper in love each time. I imagine more visits in the future. Here are my top reasons why:
Labels: Chicago, travels | 0 comments | |
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Doin' the Charleston
Friday, May 20, 2011
Hi All! Let's forget about what kind of food I eat and get back to something more fun -- travel talk!
Some on you may know that the Mister's job has him on the road in South Carolina every week. Instead of him coming home to me in FL for the weekend, I flew up to see him in Charleston -- that beautiful Southern Belle of a city. The last time I was in Charleston I was 11 years old. April is a GREAT time to be in the Southeastern U.S. because the weather, generally, is PERFECT. The high temperatures are in the mid 70s or low 80s, the lows are in the 60s or 50s, and the humidity is low.
I flew into town on a Thursday night, and when Jacob finished up work on Friday morning, we took off to see the H.L. Hunley, one of the first submarines ever built and which saw battle in The Civil War. It was pretty incredible seeing how men fit into such a small craft, and even more amazing thinking about how crazy these men must have been to VOLUNTEER to get in this thing. I barely want to enter a present-day submarine, much (MUCH) less think about getting into some wood and iron contraption that leaks every time you surface and open the air vent. The men volunteering to crew this thing definitely were desperate men on the fringe of society, in my mind.
Afterward, we headed to downtown Charleston, which is just so dang CHARMING!! Horse-drawn carriages, cobblestone and brick-lined streets, wrought-iron gates leading to beautiful brick southern colonial homes and brownstones. Plus, it's spring, so all the gardens were blooming and lush with green. We headed toward the waterfront where white sailboats with colorful spinnakers were bobbing downwind on the breezy waves of the harbor.
Jacob did his homework with his co-workers, so he had the scoop on where to go in town. We stopped up at The Rooftop for a drink and a snack. This place has a beautiful view of downtown from on high and the bar staff was really nice. From there we headed back toward our hotel for a mid-day rest, which we followed up with dinner at Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant and a movie. We saw "Hanna", which is filmed in a way that I think The Hunger Games should be filmed.
The next morning, we blissfully slept in before deciding what to do with our day. We decided to start with brunch at Poogan's Porch, a Charleston institution and landmark. I couldn't resist the french toast, and neither of us could resist the bloody Marys or fresh-made biscuits. YUM!
After brunch we walked around some more and we found the oldest house in Charleston, which is now The Pink House Gallery. By what other means could a structure have such longevity than by serving as a brothel and an ale house over the CENTURIES?
We closed out our day with dinner at the Charleston River Dogs minor league baseball game.
Sunday marked the end of my time in Charleston, and I was so sad to go. The Mister and I had SUCH a great time together and there was so much more we could have done around town. Hopefully I will have another opportunity to fly North and so some more touring around before Jacob is assigned to another job site. Summer is coming, so we'll probably have to hit the beach on Sullivan's Island as well as the Firefly Distillery!Labels: baseball, Charleston, my life, travels | 0 comments | |
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West Coast Recap
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Farmer's Market en route to Monterey
Jacob and I flew off to San Francisco early Monday morning after our fantastically fun wedding weekend. When we landed, we hopped in our rented Chevy Equinox and hit the road south to the Monterey Peninsula. The rental car agency was the first instance where dropping the "We're on Our Honeymoon" card paid off with an upgrade. As I type this, I think it is the ONLY instance where this paid off.
Like many after the surge of excitement and emotion associated with a life-changing event, I succumbed to illness. A head cold slowed me down during our first week while we toured Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and world-famous Aquarium; drove 17-mile-drive through Pebble Beach; walked our way around San Francisco; and toured the infamous Rock, otherwise known as Alcatraz.
Alcatraz
Monterey Bay Aquarium
For our second week, we drove from San Francisco up CA-1 and US-101 to the Central Coast of Oregon where we couched out at my in-law's beach house. The scenery of CA-1 and US-101 is breathtaking at every twist and turn! Cliffs, rocky outcrops, waves, windblown brush and trees. It was a spectacular visual feast. Maybe the curvy roads made for slower going, but the views more than made up that (and the motion sickness). And don't worry, we didn't miss a beat of March Madness during our travels, as we caught the games on TV along the way up the coast.
The beach house was a stroke of genius. Planning for a week at the house with no agenda made for the most relaxing time away from home. Even though it drizzled and rained 85% of our time on the West Coast, my cold cleared up by the time we made it to Oregon and we had a great time. We filled our time with sleeping, reading, napping, eating, and hiking and climbing. Yes, even in the cold, rain, and mud, we did a 5-mile hike along the coast. And we did an AMRAP (as-many-rounds-as-possible) workout climbing the Pacific City dune just north of the Pelican Brewery. Both physical efforts resulted in rewards - the hike with lunch at Tillamook Cheese and the dune climb with lunch at the Brewery. I loved the beer cheese soup at the brewery. Order it. Love it. :)
Coastal hike in Oregon...in the rain.
The Dune at Pacific City
Our last outing before heading home was the amazing Rogue Ales Brewery in Newport, OR. The atmosphere and food at this place are amazing. Jacob and I sampled several delicious brews, with the Oatmeal Stout and Honey Orange Wheat being our favorites. I chowed the macaroni and cheese made with a beer cheese sauce. Do you sense a theme with my tastebuds??
Rogue Ales sampler
Our time on the West Coast was fantastic and way too brief. I cried when I woke up the morning after our return home. Seriously. I didn't want the vacation to end. And that is how you know it was a GREAT vacation. Now, if only I could get hundreds of microbrews, cheap produce (especially avocados - 5 for $1!!), and a ban on plastic bags wherever I go, I could be happy wherever I go.
------------TRIP STATS:Number of wrong turns: at least 2 dozen (even WITH a GPS and iPhones)Number of times I didn't know I had the hotel reservations in my name: 1 (Whoopsie!)Number of disagreements: 0 (of course - we're newlyweds! HA!)Number of free things received for being newlyweds: ZERO (WTF, people?)Number of times my raincoat kept me from getting soaked: A gabillion, except for the time it didn't because the coat dripped onto my legs or because I didn't time my run past the beach waves correctly. Regardless, USER ERROR.Labels: California, my life, Oregon, travels | 0 comments | |
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Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, and Hotoberfest
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
For all the times I caught connecting flights in Atlanta, I never once had enough time to venture outside the airport and into the city. Fortunately, Jacob had a job recruitment fair to go to the first weekend of October, and he had an old buddy from his hometown living there willing to put us freeloaders up for a couple of nights. We drove up I-75 on a Friday night to where Jacob's buddy and his wife live. They live in an awesome up-and-coming section of Atlanta known as Glenwood Park. On Saturday we walked over to Hotoberfest where Jacob and I tasted many a yummy microbrewski. We followed all that up with a meal at the Matador Cantina and one heckuva a downer of a Tennessee football game. The game was such a downer that our host with the most could not even down his own shot of tequila. Don't worry. It didn't go to waste ;) To ease the pain of defeat, we all headed to a neighbor's house to get the good times rolling again.
The universe has a way of letting us all know how small the world really is through coincidences that blow our minds. In Glenwood Park, at a friend of a friend of a friend's neighbor's house, I ran into an old graduate school friend from Miami that I had not seen in nearly 5 years. It was incredible and no one present could believe it. There I am sitting on the couch in this person's house, and in walks my friend. Through my daze of disbelief and confusion, I call his name out across the room. The room goes silent as everyone watches the two of us recognize each other. I still can't believe it! It was wonderful to catch up with each other and the moment made me remember what an awesome experience graduate school was for me. I'm getting nostalgic again as I write this now...
Early the following morning, I drove Jacob to his prep session with his headhunter. Most of Jacob's day would be spent in hotel conference rooms with his recruiter and fellow job hunters preparing for Monday's job interviews. Because the hotel was close to my cousin's apartment, I totally woke her up with a ridiculous good morning phone call! Fortunately, she knew I would do that and she gave me directions to her place. She and I spent most of the day together -- catching up, talking about life, and searching around the mall for bridesmaids accessories. Ultimately, the bridesmaids ended up with nothing, but Jacob got a new shirt and power tie out of the deal. Who knew Donald Trump designed ties?!?
When Jacob finished his prep sessions, I picked him up and we made our way back to Glenwood Park for dinner and more football. As it was Sunday and everyone had an early morning, our evening was called pretty early (especially after doing a quarter mile of lunges around the local high school's track). I was looking forward to a day in the city, and to hearing good news from Jacob's job interviews.
Monday morning I drove Jacob back to his job recruitment headquarters on the other side of the city. After saying "Adios and good luck!", I drove downtown to the largest aquarium in THE WORLD -- The Georgia Aquarium.
Home to whale sharks, manta rays, coral, and belugas, this place BLEW my mind. In front of the 6.3 million gallon Ocean Voyager exhibit, I became entranced. I could have sat in front of that aquarium for days!
The grace of the animals and the many thoughts that came to mind while watching them kept me dreaming. I also wondered how ethical it really is to keep these humongous, beautiful creatures trapped in a tank of water hundreds of miles away from the ocean. Sure, this may be the only way others or I could even see or experience these creatures, but is it the best way? A conundrum, to be sure, and I can only hope it results in more water advocates. For water covers more than 70% of our planet, yet it is the least protected and most abused ecosystem. To many, oceans, lakes, and rivers seem like a mysterious abyss, infinitely capable of absorbing all the harms we inflict upon them. To me, they are our most fragile resources and they have been taken for granted for far too long.
I spent several hours walking through all the amazing exhibits. I was mesmerized by the white beluga and the river otters. I was astonished by all the fish species and delighted by the jellyfish. I was sad that only Pacific coral reef species were on display, rather than (or not in addition to) the geographically-closer Caribbean coral reef species. Oh well, even the largest aquarium in the world can't have a whole OCEAN inside its walls....
After getting my fill of water wonder, and nearly killing my phone's battery because of all my picture-taking, I walked outside to a beautiful southern fall day in downtown Atlanta. Just a hop away from the aquarium is the infamous Centennial Olympic Park. In 1996, Atlanta hosted the 100th year of the Summer Olympic Games. The Park was created as the central gathering place for the games. The Park hosted entertainment, concerts and receptions; food, beverages and Olympic merchandise vendors and was a central meeting location for volunteers and pin trading.
SIDE NOTE: I am an Olympics JUNKIE. I fell in love with the games the year Mary Lou Retton stole all of our hearts. I fell in love with them all over again in the winter of the Battle of Brians and of two talented figure skaters performing to the dramatic music of Carmen. Kerri Strug, the Miracle on Ice, Michael Phelps. The legends and the lore -- I love it all. The Olympics are my World Series and March Madness rolled into two and half weeks of human-interest stories and peaceful competition. Ask me sometime about attending the Sydney Olympics -- there is NO OTHER experience like it.
Anyway, back to the park. I could not have asked for a more beautiful day to stroll around the park. Beautiful clear skies, pleasant temperatures, and no crowds. I took my time walking around while sipping a hot cup of coffee. My favorite parts of the park were probably the fountain in centennial plaza and the "quilt garden". There are a series of metal and brick "quilts" that commemorate several aspects of the 100th Summer Olympics. One of the quilts is in remembrance of the 111 people injured and the 1 person killed by the bombing in the park, which occurred on July 27, 1996. The Quilt of Remembrance features a mosaic of stones from around the world to honor those injured in the explosion and an eternal light shines in memory of Alice Hawthorne, who perished. It was very moving to linger by this memorial quilt, and by all the quilts, including the quilt of nations.
After touring through Centennial Park, I settled on a bench in the sun and read my book while I waited for Jacob's call. When he calls, I say good-bye to Atlanta. I never knew how much I would enjoy it! Fortunately, Jacob's interviews went well and traffic was easy for the ride home. I am so appreciative to our hosts and for the many blessings that came out of that weekend. The weather was perfect, I ran into and caught up with an old friend, I had a wonderful visit with my dearest cousin, and Jacob found a job! Really, what more could one ask for from a long weekend? If you ever get the chance to escape the airport terminal, I think Atlanta is well worth a visit!
Labels: Atlanta, my life, travels | 0 comments | |
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Scenes from a Brazilian May
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
I love how blogger always loads my photos in reverse order. Anyway, below are just a few of the shots I took during my time in Brazil. There are many more on the blog my Team Leader, Doug, coordinated. The link for that is included in the sidebar to the right. I encourage you to look through and read through that blog for many more details!
The iconic tree of Curitiba.
Iguazu Falls. See the video below of the 275 falls that go on forever at the confluence of 2 rivers in 3 countries: Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
Downtown Morrettes, a sleepy town on the coast of southern Brazil in the state of Parana.
Traditional Portuguese architecture in Morrettes.
The pier in Morrettes.
View of Tangui Park from the top of the waterfall in Curitiba.
The Wire Opera house, which was constructed on the site of a former quarry. Redevelopment of public spaces at its best.
Riding the city's tourist line with my teammates and team leader.
The remains of yet another full course meal at a huge Italian restaurant in the Santa Felicidades area of Curitiba.
Brazilian BBQ friends.
The regional elections tribunal. In Brazil, each citizen of voting age is REQUIRED by law to vote or face a fine. Brazil was the first country to have a reliable electronic voting system...even before the infamous "hanging chad".
My generous guides and translators in the City of Pinnhais.
The magnificently manicured grounds of the Botanical Gardens in Curitiba.
The green house at the Botanical Gardens.
View of the City of Curitiba from the panoramic viewing deck of the Oi Cellular tower.Labels: Brazil, my life, travels | 0 comments | |
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Back to Life
Friday, June 11, 2010
I'm just home from Brazil, and my how things simultaneously change and stay the same. I'll let you read about and see photos from my team's adventures with Rotary International in our blog here. I think we (especially team leader extraordinaire, Doug) did a pretty good job of capturing the highlights. I'll post some more of my own photos once my new MacBook Pro arrives!!
People keep asking us all if we had fun on the trip, and so soon after landing, it is hard to characterize our time in Brazil. During our trip I felt amazed, frustrated, happy, sad, enlightened, stupefied, and everything else on the spectrum of emotion. I learned that the world is getting smaller everyday and globalization is happening now. Brazil is a bigger and better melting pot than the U.S. No one in the South looks like a "traditional" Brazilian. The European influence is very apparent -- Germans, Dutch, and Italians -- and peppers the food, the architecture, and the language. I learned that I can pick up Portuguese faster than I thought, but not fast enough to form sentences. I learned there is a lot of good in the world, and many are working to protect it. I learned so much more, and I am likely to continue to reap the benefits of this trip. Additionally, this experience is unique and likely never to be repeated -- no other program is likely to give me the opportunity to meet the incredible individuals I met or see all the things I was able to see in ONE month. It was an incredible experience and I am so happy to be home.
The major reason I am so happy to be home: I am engaged! So, with this big trip over and done, I am about to embark on one of life's biggest trips -- marriage. This puts the home buying plans on hold for now. At least I know that when the time comes to buy, I am ready for it! For now, though, I am enjoying time with my fiance (!!), friends, planning for the future, and all the other perks of being home in the States: toilets that flush, drinking tap water, using my cell phone whenever I like, and choosing my own schedule.
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TRIP STATS:
Number of host families: 7
Number of hotel stays: 3
Number of buffets eaten: 100s
Number of Portuguese words I understood: max. 10
Number of Portuguese words I learned: max. 2
Modes of transportation utilized: planes, trains, automobiles, buses, walking/hiking (sadly, no boats)
Worst moment: realizing I wouldn't be able to call home on a regular basis
Best moment: Contributing a tile mosaic to a Goodwill Tree and listening to an amazing pianist (see our team's blog entry #23: An amazing family, to know more)
Labels: Brazil, my life, travels | 0 comments | |
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Now We're Movin'!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
So, BIG news. BIG updates! I haven't mentioned the following on here before now because well, they were just too BIG! Let's start with the BIG international delight...
Back in October, November, December? I found I passed muster and was selected as a team member for Rotary International's Group Study Exchange Program. Two of my good friends are alumni of this amazing program. The GSE program is a cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young-ish professionals. For four weeks, my team leader, 3 teammates, and I will tour our host Rotary District in Curitiba, Brazil. Curitiba is south of Sao Paolo and Rio, almost to Uruguay. It is a very modern city and serves as an excellent example of progressive urban planning.
In a typical four-week tour, my team and I will participate in vocational visits, give 15 to 20 presentations about our lives and our careers to numerous Rotary clubs within our host district, attend the host district conference, go on cultural and service project site tours, and stay with host families. The goal is to soak up as much of the culture as possible, while making new friends and professional connections.
Rotary International is an amazing civic service organization with clubs all around the country and the world. I've had the privilege of attending several Rotary functions, and I like the ethos of the organization. (I encourage you to find your nearest local Rotary Club and inquire about the GSE program.) Fortunately, my GSE alumni friends have started their own provisional Rotary Club right here in St. Pete that I will likely join once I return from in June. As much as I would like to update my entries on this blog while I am touring my host district in Brazil, I am going to say now that it is not likely. Everyone involved with the GSE program guarantees me long, full days and I have little expectation that I can sneak away to type up a blog entry of any quality.
So, that's the BIG international news. Like I would need any more action than that in one year!! As you all know by now, though, I roll at the speed of sound, if not light, when it comes to living life. I have BIG domestic news, too!! When I return home, I will begin OPERATION: Search and Offer. Currently, I am in OPERATION: Careful Consideration of Home Ownership.
I've been crunching numbers all month and I meet with my friendly mortgage broker next week. And in lieu of committing to the home search full on by getting a real estate agent and visiting listed homes, I check out eye candy here. I will begin the on foot search in earnest when I return to the States. My dear little 500 square foot one-bedroom garage apartment has been so kind to me over the past four years. My land lady has been even better to me during that time. I will miss the moments we shared; however, it is time to move on to a full-sized, functional kitchen, a yard to call my own, and space enough for a full-sized sofa and for the cats (yes, I have cats and that's another story altogether). I'm looking forward to the process of purchasing my very first piece of property and I can't wait for each of you to come visit!! There will most certainly be room for you!
That's the moving and the shakin'. I hope you can keep up. I promise to keep you as updated as possible over the summer!
Labels: my life, travels | 0 comments | |
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A Skyscraper, Some Ice Skates, and Sketch Comedy
Friday, March 19, 2010
This post is a little overdue, but I'm sure you all know by now I'm not very timely with my posts. At the end of February I flew North to visit my friend Amanda. You met her in this post, and you know where she lives from this post. Because I only had 24 hours to experience Chicago during my last trip in August, I went back for the full treatment!
As soon as I landed, Amanda and I were on the go -- straight downtown to the Willis (Sears) Tower. I've been to the top of the Empire State Building, and now this. How exciting!! The Willis Tower is awesome because recently, the SkyDeck was revamped to include clear glass retractable ledges that allow you to step out over the streets of downtown Chicago. Take a look at what I mean:
Depending on how windy The Windy City gets, "The Ledge" is pulled back closer to the building. I found that out of the information posted on the walls, too, I appreciated the information geared toward elementary kids more! I totally wanted to know what people ate for lunch in the 1940s more than I wanted to read about famous Chicagoans. Sorry, but it's true!! Here are some fun facts for your own learning enjoyment:- The Willis Tower is 1,450 feet (443 meters) high - 1,730 feet (520 meters) including twin antenna towers.
- The Skydeck is 1,353 feet (412 meters) above the ground.
- On a clear day, you can see four states - Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. Visibility from the Skydeck is approximately 40-50 miles (65 - 80 kilometers).
- The average sway of the building is approximately 6 inches (152 millimeters) from true center.
Then, we headed back to Chez Amanda, which is fabulous, for some down time and settling in before we headed out to Second City for the evening. Second City is an improv theater company, which has generated so much funny over the years. Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Eugene Levy, Bonnie Hunt, Chris Farley, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey -- all alumni of Second City. We saw Studs Terkel's Not Working and we laughed our little tuckus' off!! Audience participation + funny improv comedians/ens = one funny night. I really didn't want the show to end, but maybe that was the Irish coffee and the vodka cranberry talking?
After the show, the girls split off so we could go "dance it out" at The Apartment. And boy did we dance it out, especially after these bad boys:
Mmmmm....Lemon drops!! Warms you up on a cold winter night...and gives you energy to dance, dance all night long!! Which then comes crashing down when you get home at 3 am, and don't wake up until noon? It was snowing when we left the club, and boy, did I miss snow. Florida hasn't been all that Florida-like this winter with temperatures in the low 50s for most of each day, and lows in the high 30s. So, Chicago was not much of a leap, and hey, at least y'all get pretty snowflakes!! Don't mind the whipping, bone-chilling wind, though. Who needs smooth lips and soft hands??
Anyway, I digress. Saturday morning, after a night of debauchery, dancing, and dodging dodgy characters, Amanda and I made breakfast, then headed out to for some classic, clean wintertime fun -- ICE SKATING!!!!OMG! Good thing I practiced (roller) skating at my birthday party this past summer!! It was great to be outside, and you can't beat $5 for all-day skating. Going in one direction, like a school of fish, gets a little old, but you won't catch me complaining.
After ice skating, we warmed up with a couple of burgers and some fries at a local dive in Hyde Park -- Woodlawn Tap. Because our night out and ice skating took so much out of us, and the Olympics were on TV, Amanda and I couched for the rest of the day. We wanted to rest up for my last day in town.
On my last day in town, Amanda and I checked out the Unitarian Universalist "church" in Hyde Park. Amanda attends Lutheran seminary, which encourages experiencing other types of worship. I attend life, which encourages experiencing, well, life. So in we went.....AND an hour later, out we came feeling uninspired and slightly disappointed. We had lots to discuss. Is worship supposed to consist of reciting ones accomplishments, curriculum vitae, or resume?? Perhaps not. Both of us were left desiring more from the experience.
We spent the rest of the day exploring Wicker Park, where we discovered the healing powers of HOT PUDDING. I kid you not. This place, iCream Cafe, is AMAZING. The deal is like this: first you select whether you want ice cream, frozen yogurt, hot pudding, or rice pudding. THEN you decide what flavor you want your base to be. THEN, you decide if you want a COLOR to be added. You could have green vanilla pudding! Then, like Cold Stone, you decide what extras you want to mix in -- Nutella? Raspberries? Graham crackers? I chose raspberry HOT pudding with nutella. OMG. I thought I had made a mistake because I actually wanted chocolate hot pudding with raspberries and nutella, but NO. It was I who was mistaken. Raspberry hot pudding is AMAZING!! And when the Chicago wind is whipping through the streets, hot pudding is the ticket. If you don't burn the inside of your mouth with it's hotness!
Before I departed for Midway, Amanda and I caught some super delicious, super cheap, superhuge pizza at Piece Brewery & Pizzaria where we watched the first two periods of the hot action gold medal hockey game between the US and Canada. I learned of our unfortunate loss, and Canada's glorious win while waiting in the security checkpoint line at the airport terminal.
I had an awesome weekend tooling around town with Amanda and staying at Amanda's fantastic urban pad. Thank you, darling, for showing this gal a great time and for being such a generous hostess. There were no towel animals, but clearly, that did not detract from my enjoyment of the weekend. You did such a great job, I will abuse you for another weekend visit before you leave seminary!!!
Labels: Chicago, my life, travels | 0 comments | |
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The 'Son -- Part Quatros (Desert Dessert)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Y'all, we done saved the best for our last day of freedom before work began for the week. Kelly and I headed down to The Cup Cafe at The Hotel Congress for the breakfast we missed out on over the weekend. The floor is made of pennies, and there are empty wine bottle chandeliers decorating the ceiling. Breakfast was good, but I have to say, rather unremarkable. Maybe I needed a good hike in before eating, like the Tohono Chul Tea Room.
Regardless, breakfast geared us up for an amazing day at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Even the drive out there is beautiful. We passed over the Tucson Mountains on the West side of the city to get to the remarkable museum/zoo. Everything you see at this place is native, in native habitat. We saw everything from coyotes, to fish, to birds of prey, to javelinas. Javelinas became Kelly's personal obsession -- she had to see one before we left Tucson. Javelinas look a lot like a cross between a rat and a pig, but they are known as peccaries. Similar, yet different. They are very cute, but they can smell a little skunk-like. Always a plus, right? ;-)
So, not only were the animals and plants very cool to see, but so were the friggin' landscape views from the museum grounds.
Coyote statue
Heeey, Javelinas! I see two, do you?
In the evening, when we arrived back at the Westward Look Resort, the work week began with workshop registration and an evening reception. The rest of my co-workers arrived somewhere between Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon. Thus began 4 days of discussing how U.S. Fish & Wildlife and NOAA Fisheries Service could better serve endangered and threatened species through the tools and partnerships available. There were many ups and downs during the week, with some portions of the week more informative than others. It all illustrated what a bureaucracy I work for, but also what amazingly passionate people work for our federal conservation agencies, as well. There are many good people out there, doing good work for our shared natural resources.
On Friday, Kelly and I had one last meal in the Gold Room of the Westward Look Resort, before grabbing the shuttle to the airport for our afternoon flight. I finally experienced the relaxing comfort of the uber-massage chair available in the resort lobby. The thing pounds all your body's muscles into submission -- including the ones in your booty -- and it feels so good!!
Too bad the relaxation did not get us home. At our intended departure time, the gate agent for American Airlines informed us that our plane was broken. We would not be going home Friday. Fortunately, our rooms at The Holiday Inn Palo Verde were comped by the airline, and we were given $10 vouchers for food. C'est la vie, non? Kelly, fellow co-worker Kyle, and I passed a rather enjoyable evening at the bar in the hotel, including a conversation with a gem dealer in town for the largest gem show. He had a body guard because he was carrying some rather valuable raw black opal. He also was hyping tungsten, bionic bands (for strength and balance), and Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior (JCOLAS). His jewelry designs are all based on JSOLAS -- very beautiful, but maybe not in need of so much explanation through preaching and scripture from the designer/salesman. He tried to get Kelly to buy into his bionic band pyramid scheme, as well. Interesting night...that led to a thankfully anticlimactic morning at the Tucson Airport. Our flight took off on time and without a hitch. I even got moved from the last row in the last seat (right next to the jet engine) to a window seat forward of the wing. Thank goodness for small blessings. And thank goodness I am home. It was time to get back to my own bed and familiar haunts.No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel
until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.
~Lin Yutang
Labels: my life, travels, Tucson | 0 comments | |
Showing posts with label travels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travels. Show all posts
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