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| Mission Beach |
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| Mission Beach |
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| Mark in San Diego |
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Week 7 -first half - San Diego Day 1
End of Week 6 - Horseback Riding in Bonita, California
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| Barbara on the misnamed "Spirit" |
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| Mark on "Tank" |
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Week 6 - middle portion - Ramona, Julian...a harrowing trip over the mountains
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| Leaving the time share in Indio |
We left sunny Coachella Valley and climbed, climbed, climbed into the mountains. The views into the Valley were spectacular. But then - the weather deteriorated. As we got into the mountains, we saw ominous signs telling cars to have chains. We figured that they were left over from winter.
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| Looking back at Coachella Valley |
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| Leaving Coachella Valley - note road |
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| Uh oh!.....but just the beginning! |
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| Cactus & Snow |
Then, we descended about 4,000 feet into Ramona, where we are staying at San Diego Country Estates, a beautiful tennis timeshare. The apartment is spectacular with huge rooms and a fireplace.
We saw a Western Bluebird and an immature kestrel.
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| Snow |
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| Getting more slippery! |
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| Sleet & hail....from car window |
We spent one day going to Julian, a small mountain community known for its apples. There was a lot of snow. We visited Menghini Vineyards and bought one of their Merlots and went to a Witch Creek Vineyard wine tasting room and bought two of their Viogniers. We were supposed to go horseback riding Tuesday, but the stables cancelled due to mud.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Week 6 - first half - End of Tennis and Indian Wells. Sigh.
We had two more nights of tennis with great weather and great tennis. We also found a wonderful Mexican super market, Cardenas and have been buying their homemade flour tortillas and various sauces and making some nice lunches.
On Thursday afternoon, we went to the tennis garden a bit early and sat on the lawn in front of the big screen and watched Rafa Nadal and Mark Garcia-Lopez versus the Polish team of Krystenbert and Matkowski (who we saw beat Monfils/Kohlshreiber earlier in the tournament). Even though it was a day match, they let people in to see the match from the grandstand, so we went up to see the end of that match which was fun. Nadal and Garcia-Lopez beat the other team very easily: 6-2, 6-0. Nadal and Lopez are now going to be in the men's finals AND Rafa will be in the Men's Singles Final, which will be interesting to schedule, not to mention the physical challenge.
After seeing Nadal and Lopez, we went back to our "own" seats. We saw a very intense Quarterfinal match between the young, tall American, John Isner (seeded 11) versus the 13 seed Frenchman Gilles Simon. It went the distance - 3 sets, with Isner squeaking out a win in the third. Isner went on to meet Novak Djokovic on the weekend and amazingly, took out Number 1 Djokovic in three tight sets. So, it looks as if Isner will break into the top ten.
Between the matches, Michael Lington, saxophonist, treated the stadium to some wonderful music.
We next saw a very interesting women's Semi-Final Doubles match between last year's winner at Indian Wells (Vesnina/Mirza) take on the winner from Roland Garros (Hrdecka/Hlavachkova). The first set went to the Czech team and it looked as if they were on their way to victory in the second set, when Vesnina and Mirza stepped it up and won. It was long and exciting. By the end, though, there were only about 200 people left as most of them cleared out of the men's singles. (There is not much interest in women's doubles without more highly recognizable names.) It turned out to be our latest night of the tournament; we got home around 1 a.m.!
On Friday, we saw both Women's Single Semi-Finals.
First, we saw the number one women's player right now - Victoria Azarenka, take on the woman who took out Li Na - Angelique Kerber of Germany. Kerber played well and challenged Azarenka, but Azarenka was just too good and eventually won: 6-4, 6-3. So, Azarenka went into the Finals.
Next we saw a much anticipated match between two former number one players who are battling their way back to the top: Maria Sharapova, seeded 2, and Ana Ivanovic, seeded 15. We saw Ivanovic in two tough matches earlier in the tournament. We saw her in a long three-setter against Pervac and then, saw her take out Caroline Wozniacki. And, we saw Sharapova take out Gisela Dulko easily. It was hard to know for whom to root as we like them both.
The first set took over an hour and was worthy of the finals with high quality play and drama. Unfortunately, though, early in the second set, Ivanovic retired, injured. Sharapova moved into the Finals.
On Saturday, we had tennis withdrawal symptoms! And, the weather also changed - rain in the desert! We watched Djokovic lose to Isner on TV and then watched through a rain delay the Federer - Nadal Semi Finals.
On Thursday afternoon, we went to the tennis garden a bit early and sat on the lawn in front of the big screen and watched Rafa Nadal and Mark Garcia-Lopez versus the Polish team of Krystenbert and Matkowski (who we saw beat Monfils/Kohlshreiber earlier in the tournament). Even though it was a day match, they let people in to see the match from the grandstand, so we went up to see the end of that match which was fun. Nadal and Garcia-Lopez beat the other team very easily: 6-2, 6-0. Nadal and Lopez are now going to be in the men's finals AND Rafa will be in the Men's Singles Final, which will be interesting to schedule, not to mention the physical challenge.
After seeing Nadal and Lopez, we went back to our "own" seats. We saw a very intense Quarterfinal match between the young, tall American, John Isner (seeded 11) versus the 13 seed Frenchman Gilles Simon. It went the distance - 3 sets, with Isner squeaking out a win in the third. Isner went on to meet Novak Djokovic on the weekend and amazingly, took out Number 1 Djokovic in three tight sets. So, it looks as if Isner will break into the top ten.
Between the matches, Michael Lington, saxophonist, treated the stadium to some wonderful music.
We next saw a very interesting women's Semi-Final Doubles match between last year's winner at Indian Wells (Vesnina/Mirza) take on the winner from Roland Garros (Hrdecka/Hlavachkova). The first set went to the Czech team and it looked as if they were on their way to victory in the second set, when Vesnina and Mirza stepped it up and won. It was long and exciting. By the end, though, there were only about 200 people left as most of them cleared out of the men's singles. (There is not much interest in women's doubles without more highly recognizable names.) It turned out to be our latest night of the tournament; we got home around 1 a.m.!
On Friday, we saw both Women's Single Semi-Finals.
First, we saw the number one women's player right now - Victoria Azarenka, take on the woman who took out Li Na - Angelique Kerber of Germany. Kerber played well and challenged Azarenka, but Azarenka was just too good and eventually won: 6-4, 6-3. So, Azarenka went into the Finals.
Next we saw a much anticipated match between two former number one players who are battling their way back to the top: Maria Sharapova, seeded 2, and Ana Ivanovic, seeded 15. We saw Ivanovic in two tough matches earlier in the tournament. We saw her in a long three-setter against Pervac and then, saw her take out Caroline Wozniacki. And, we saw Sharapova take out Gisela Dulko easily. It was hard to know for whom to root as we like them both.
The first set took over an hour and was worthy of the finals with high quality play and drama. Unfortunately, though, early in the second set, Ivanovic retired, injured. Sharapova moved into the Finals.
On Saturday, we had tennis withdrawal symptoms! And, the weather also changed - rain in the desert! We watched Djokovic lose to Isner on TV and then watched through a rain delay the Federer - Nadal Semi Finals.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Week 5 - 2nd half.....MORE tennis!
On Sunday, we went to the big farmers' market-craft fair in Palm Desert. All we bought were some vegetables and some yummy dates.
On Sunday, we started in Stadium 2 where we saw another huge upset. Number 3 seed, Petra Kvitova was defeated by 19 year old Christina McHale. It was a stunning defeat which took 3 grueling sets where McHale dug very deep. Of course, the American crowd was solidly behind her, too.
Later, we saw Roger Federer beat Denis Kudla handily - 6-4, 61. He is amazing to watch; it is like a tennis workshop. Kudla, born in the Ukraine, plays for the U.S. At only 19, it seems he is someone to watch. Later in the evening, we saw Agnes Radwanska beat Flavia Pannetta. It was competitive in the beginning, but Radwanska got in rhythm and beat Pannetta in the second set by 6-1.
On Monday we saw the tail end of a match between Mardy Fish and Matthew Ebden from Australia. Ebden, a qualifier, beat Fish. (He lost later in the week to John Isner).
We sat in Stadium 2 on the top row for hours. (Not great for the backs!) We just couldn't leave as the players were so compelling. First, we saw almost a three hour match between Ana Ivanovic, who at age 24, is on a comeback. She took on 20 year old Ksenia Pervak of Kazakstan. It was hard fought by both of them, but, in the end, Ivanovic prevailed.
The next match was between the popular teams of Nadal-Garcia-Lopez and Alex Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse. There could not have been any more people fit into the stadium which was rocking. The match was well-fought and very entertaining as the players seem to enjoy playing doubles. In the end, Rafa and Mark Garcia-Lopez advanced.
That evening, we almost saw another upset as Caroline Wozniacki took on Sofia Arviddson from Sweden. Wozniacki, seeded 4th, won the tournament last year and was favored, but the set went almost three hours. Wozniacki squeaked out in the end with her experience. Because that set went on so long, the next set between the upcoming 19 year old Ryan Harrison versus Guillermo Garcia - Lopez did not even start until around 10:30. We were tired and cold, so we reluctantly left after the first set. Harrison, amazingly, won, taking him to the men's round of 16. (He later lost in another hard-fought 3 setter to Gilles Simon.)
On Tuesday, we first went to court 7 where we sat in the first row, next to the coaches of Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek, who are a winning doubles team. It was exciting to be so close, although I did worry about the serves coming our way. But, it was interesting to listen to the coaches. It was an exciting match. Paes and Stepanek beat Kai Nishikori, an upcoming Japanese man and Juan Monaco. It went to two tie breaks.
From there, we went back to our seats in Stadium 1 to watch a close match between Roger Federer and the dangerous Canadian Milos Raonic, who at 21, has the highest ranking ever for a Canadian male player. (27) It went the distance with Roger winning in the third, but it was a challenge for Federer as Raonic has a huge serve.
The next set was another shocker as we saw Caroline Wozniacki go out to Ana Ivonovic. Wozniacki, like Murray earlier, just didn't seem to get it together and Ivanovic gained confidence as the match proceeded. It is nice to see Ivanovic back in the mix, making it to the final 8.
On Wednesday, we decided to sit in the lawn chairs for a while and watch the big screens as we didn't really want to subject our backs to the bleachers in the outside courts and it was relaxing to just sit there. The crowd was glued to two matches:
Federer vs. Thomas Bellucci in the main stadium, and Ryan Harrison versus Gilles Simon in Stadium 2. Harrison put up quite a battle, fighting to stay in the second set, after having been down. But, eventually Simon prevailed. Federer faced a challenge from Bellucci, but picked it up in the third set and won.
Later, we saw two matches in Stadium 1. First, we saw yet another upset as the 8th seed, Li Na, went down to 18 seed Angelique Kerber. (4-6, 2-6). Like Murray and Wozniacki, it did not seem that Li Na got into any kind of rhythm. And, Kerber played well. She is a 24 year old German and the two women exchanged some very long, hard-hitting volleys.
Finally, we saw another exciting three-set match, maybe the best match we've seen by the men. It was ninth seeded Juan Martin Del Potro versus Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. We have never seen either of them and they treated us to a 2 hour, 44 minute match that went three sets. Istomin is 25 and Del Potro is 23. Only in the last set did Del Potro take control, winning 6-2, but the first two sets both went to thrilling tie breaks. We did not leave the stadium until just before midnight. Whew.
On Sunday, we started in Stadium 2 where we saw another huge upset. Number 3 seed, Petra Kvitova was defeated by 19 year old Christina McHale. It was a stunning defeat which took 3 grueling sets where McHale dug very deep. Of course, the American crowd was solidly behind her, too.
Later, we saw Roger Federer beat Denis Kudla handily - 6-4, 61. He is amazing to watch; it is like a tennis workshop. Kudla, born in the Ukraine, plays for the U.S. At only 19, it seems he is someone to watch. Later in the evening, we saw Agnes Radwanska beat Flavia Pannetta. It was competitive in the beginning, but Radwanska got in rhythm and beat Pannetta in the second set by 6-1.
On Monday we saw the tail end of a match between Mardy Fish and Matthew Ebden from Australia. Ebden, a qualifier, beat Fish. (He lost later in the week to John Isner).
We sat in Stadium 2 on the top row for hours. (Not great for the backs!) We just couldn't leave as the players were so compelling. First, we saw almost a three hour match between Ana Ivanovic, who at age 24, is on a comeback. She took on 20 year old Ksenia Pervak of Kazakstan. It was hard fought by both of them, but, in the end, Ivanovic prevailed.
The next match was between the popular teams of Nadal-Garcia-Lopez and Alex Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse. There could not have been any more people fit into the stadium which was rocking. The match was well-fought and very entertaining as the players seem to enjoy playing doubles. In the end, Rafa and Mark Garcia-Lopez advanced.
That evening, we almost saw another upset as Caroline Wozniacki took on Sofia Arviddson from Sweden. Wozniacki, seeded 4th, won the tournament last year and was favored, but the set went almost three hours. Wozniacki squeaked out in the end with her experience. Because that set went on so long, the next set between the upcoming 19 year old Ryan Harrison versus Guillermo Garcia - Lopez did not even start until around 10:30. We were tired and cold, so we reluctantly left after the first set. Harrison, amazingly, won, taking him to the men's round of 16. (He later lost in another hard-fought 3 setter to Gilles Simon.)
On Tuesday, we first went to court 7 where we sat in the first row, next to the coaches of Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek, who are a winning doubles team. It was exciting to be so close, although I did worry about the serves coming our way. But, it was interesting to listen to the coaches. It was an exciting match. Paes and Stepanek beat Kai Nishikori, an upcoming Japanese man and Juan Monaco. It went to two tie breaks.
From there, we went back to our seats in Stadium 1 to watch a close match between Roger Federer and the dangerous Canadian Milos Raonic, who at 21, has the highest ranking ever for a Canadian male player. (27) It went the distance with Roger winning in the third, but it was a challenge for Federer as Raonic has a huge serve.
The next set was another shocker as we saw Caroline Wozniacki go out to Ana Ivonovic. Wozniacki, like Murray earlier, just didn't seem to get it together and Ivanovic gained confidence as the match proceeded. It is nice to see Ivanovic back in the mix, making it to the final 8.
On Wednesday, we decided to sit in the lawn chairs for a while and watch the big screens as we didn't really want to subject our backs to the bleachers in the outside courts and it was relaxing to just sit there. The crowd was glued to two matches:
Federer vs. Thomas Bellucci in the main stadium, and Ryan Harrison versus Gilles Simon in Stadium 2. Harrison put up quite a battle, fighting to stay in the second set, after having been down. But, eventually Simon prevailed. Federer faced a challenge from Bellucci, but picked it up in the third set and won.
Later, we saw two matches in Stadium 1. First, we saw yet another upset as the 8th seed, Li Na, went down to 18 seed Angelique Kerber. (4-6, 2-6). Like Murray and Wozniacki, it did not seem that Li Na got into any kind of rhythm. And, Kerber played well. She is a 24 year old German and the two women exchanged some very long, hard-hitting volleys.
Finally, we saw another exciting three-set match, maybe the best match we've seen by the men. It was ninth seeded Juan Martin Del Potro versus Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. We have never seen either of them and they treated us to a 2 hour, 44 minute match that went three sets. Istomin is 25 and Del Potro is 23. Only in the last set did Del Potro take control, winning 6-2, but the first two sets both went to thrilling tie breaks. We did not leave the stadium until just before midnight. Whew.
Week 5 - first half - Tennis Anyone?
I have to divide this week in half, too, as I want to leave room for photos and we saw SO much tennis.
The weather first - sunny every single day! The weather has been perfect for tennis as it has not been too hot, nor too cold at night, although we do go prepared. We have been packing our dinners....mostly because we are cheap. We have been taking hot tomato soup in our themoses, plus an occasional sandwich...one night we had sushi.
One of the nice things about getting multiple nights in the same seats is getting to know the people around you. We have two women next to us who are very nice. One is from Colorado; the other from California. Behind us are a very nice, older couple, Steve and Rosie, who are very humorous and keep up a running commentary.
We went to see another movie in the first half of the week - "Hugo". We enjoyed it on several levels - the acting, the cinematography, the history of Georges Melies, an innovative early movie director who was responsible for many film techniques. So, now we have managed to see 2 of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture.
Onto tennis:
We have night tickets which means we usually arrive around 4:00 - 4:30 at the tennis garden and try to catch some of the day matches in the outer stadiums, then go into Stadium 1, where we have seats (Section 165, Row M for our further reference) and there, we get to see 2 matches.
On Wednesday, we started in Stadium 2, close to courtside, where we saw two former number 1 women's players play doubles together - Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva. They lost to Baczinsky and Brianti. The next set on the same court, was between an upcoming Canadian player, Vacek Pospicle taking on Nicolas Mahut, who won the match. In Stadium 1, we saw Betthanie Mattek-Sands lose to Ekaterina Makarova.
In other action in the first half of the week:
We saw Vania King beat Anastasia Pavlochenkova in straight sets and an upset as Pavlochenkova was seeded #13. Unfortunately, King withdrew in the next round, falling victim to what is being called Coachella Virus which has hit many of the players and coaches.
We saw Gael Monfils and Philip Kohlshreiber in an exciting doubles match against two Polish players, Fyrstenbert and Matkowski. It was entertaining and the Poles won.
In the main stadium, we got to see a very entertaining doubles match where Rafa and Mark Garcia-Lopez took on the 3rd seeded doubles team of Llodra and Zimonjic. (6-4, 6-4).
We saw a huge upset in the main stadium: Andy Murray, seeded 4th, went out in the second round to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in two sets. It was a shocker; Murray just couldn't seem to get started and Garcia-Lopez was on fire.
Also in the main stadium, we saw Petra Kvitova, the number 3 seed, beat Barbora Zahlovova-Strychova.
On Saturday, we saw a match on Court 7, between Maria Kirilenko, seeded 20, against Irina Begu, a 21 year old from Romania. Kirolenko won, but not easily.
In the main stadium we saw Maria Sharapova, seeded 2nd, beat Gisela Dulko with ease.
The weather first - sunny every single day! The weather has been perfect for tennis as it has not been too hot, nor too cold at night, although we do go prepared. We have been packing our dinners....mostly because we are cheap. We have been taking hot tomato soup in our themoses, plus an occasional sandwich...one night we had sushi.
One of the nice things about getting multiple nights in the same seats is getting to know the people around you. We have two women next to us who are very nice. One is from Colorado; the other from California. Behind us are a very nice, older couple, Steve and Rosie, who are very humorous and keep up a running commentary.
We went to see another movie in the first half of the week - "Hugo". We enjoyed it on several levels - the acting, the cinematography, the history of Georges Melies, an innovative early movie director who was responsible for many film techniques. So, now we have managed to see 2 of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture.
Onto tennis:
We have night tickets which means we usually arrive around 4:00 - 4:30 at the tennis garden and try to catch some of the day matches in the outer stadiums, then go into Stadium 1, where we have seats (Section 165, Row M for our further reference) and there, we get to see 2 matches.
On Wednesday, we started in Stadium 2, close to courtside, where we saw two former number 1 women's players play doubles together - Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva. They lost to Baczinsky and Brianti. The next set on the same court, was between an upcoming Canadian player, Vacek Pospicle taking on Nicolas Mahut, who won the match. In Stadium 1, we saw Betthanie Mattek-Sands lose to Ekaterina Makarova.
In other action in the first half of the week:
We saw Vania King beat Anastasia Pavlochenkova in straight sets and an upset as Pavlochenkova was seeded #13. Unfortunately, King withdrew in the next round, falling victim to what is being called Coachella Virus which has hit many of the players and coaches.
We saw Gael Monfils and Philip Kohlshreiber in an exciting doubles match against two Polish players, Fyrstenbert and Matkowski. It was entertaining and the Poles won.
In the main stadium, we got to see a very entertaining doubles match where Rafa and Mark Garcia-Lopez took on the 3rd seeded doubles team of Llodra and Zimonjic. (6-4, 6-4).
We saw a huge upset in the main stadium: Andy Murray, seeded 4th, went out in the second round to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in two sets. It was a shocker; Murray just couldn't seem to get started and Garcia-Lopez was on fire.
Also in the main stadium, we saw Petra Kvitova, the number 3 seed, beat Barbora Zahlovova-Strychova.
On Saturday, we saw a match on Court 7, between Maria Kirilenko, seeded 20, against Irina Begu, a 21 year old from Romania. Kirolenko won, but not easily.
In the main stadium we saw Maria Sharapova, seeded 2nd, beat Gisela Dulko with ease.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Week 4 - Las Cruces, Scottsdale, Indio
We left El Paso and drove an hour to see my Marietta College roommate of two years, Jan, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We had a lovely visit with her, complete with tea and croissants, as well as seeing Gambel's Quail, desert wrens and thrashers in her yard. All too soon, we had to leave and drove Route 10 to Scottsdale, Arizona.
Scottsdale: Mark booked us, via Priceline, into a Hilton Resort hotel in Scottsdale. It was much more luxurious than our usual accommodations! But, he got us an amazing deal of less than $100 per night. Our balcony overlooked a palm tree courtyard. The first night, we went to an amazing sushi restaurant called Roka and had a superb meal.
Our second day in Scottsdale was wonderful. It was definitely good enough to be added to one of the "Thirty" for our anniversary year. We started with a morning walk in the Phoenix Botanical Garden where we walked every trail. The weather was perfect - sunny and warm, but not hot. This time, we recognized many of the desert plants, but also focused on the birds. We met up with a couple of birders and they kindly helped us to identify: Anna's hummingbirds, desert wrens, Ebert's towhees, verdins and more quail. We had a late lunch at Dick's Hideaway, the unsigned restaurant that we ate in two years ago. Still no sign! We had an excellent lunch: I had fish tacos and Mark had enchiladas with a chili flavored twice-baked potato which was excellent. We then went back to the hotel and basked in the sun by the pool. (But, it wasn't very warm.) And, for dinner, we ate some groceries we got at Trader Joe's. A lovely day!
Our third day in Scottsdale was also very nice. We ate at just a standard breakfast place which was much more expensive than it needed to be. That wasn't a great start to the day, but it got better. We found a fabulous farmers' market in Old Scottsdale - maybe one of the best markets we've ever visited. Too bad we were so full as there were many things to sample which we passed by. We did buy some cider which had been pressed the day before. Then, we had a really, really relaxing day...basking by the pool. Mark met a lovely retired man from Canada who actually lives with his wife at the hotel for 2 1/2 months! They had two long philosophical talks about life, retirement and noticing the things around you.
Alas! The resort life had to come to an end for us. Just a hint of the high life for us! We drove, again in the wind, to Indio where we checked into a timeshare where we've stayed before. It is very modest, more our style, I guess!
We have been here for 2 1/2 days. We have not gone out to eat at all - it is good to have a kitchen again. We went to the two days free days of tennis qualifiers at Indian Wells. We saw just one match on the first day - Paula Ormachea (Brazil) beat Katrina Bondarenko. (Ormachea lost the next day, so did not make it into the draw.) The second day, we watched an intense and long match between veteran Greta Arn and American Julia Cohen, which was won by Arn. Then, we saw a veteran American male, Michael Yani beat Roberto Mello. We don't yet know whether either Arn or Yani made it into the main draw.
Otherwise, we have just enjoyed sitting in the hot tub and reading. ("Noises Off!") We did go to see one of the movies that was nominated this year for the Oscar's Best Picture, "Hugo" by Martin Scorcese. We enjoyed it, but agreed that "The Artist" was better. They both, curiously, were tributes to the silent film makers.
Scottsdale: Mark booked us, via Priceline, into a Hilton Resort hotel in Scottsdale. It was much more luxurious than our usual accommodations! But, he got us an amazing deal of less than $100 per night. Our balcony overlooked a palm tree courtyard. The first night, we went to an amazing sushi restaurant called Roka and had a superb meal.
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| Barbara at Phoenix Botanical Garden |
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| Verdin, Phoenix |
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| Ground Squirrel...in the air! |
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| Gambel's Quail, Phoenix |
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| Anna's Hummingbird, Phoenix |
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| Old Scottsdale downtown |
Our second day in Scottsdale was wonderful. It was definitely good enough to be added to one of the "Thirty" for our anniversary year. We started with a morning walk in the Phoenix Botanical Garden where we walked every trail. The weather was perfect - sunny and warm, but not hot. This time, we recognized many of the desert plants, but also focused on the birds. We met up with a couple of birders and they kindly helped us to identify: Anna's hummingbirds, desert wrens, Ebert's towhees, verdins and more quail. We had a late lunch at Dick's Hideaway, the unsigned restaurant that we ate in two years ago. Still no sign! We had an excellent lunch: I had fish tacos and Mark had enchiladas with a chili flavored twice-baked potato which was excellent. We then went back to the hotel and basked in the sun by the pool. (But, it wasn't very warm.) And, for dinner, we ate some groceries we got at Trader Joe's. A lovely day!
Our third day in Scottsdale was also very nice. We ate at just a standard breakfast place which was much more expensive than it needed to be. That wasn't a great start to the day, but it got better. We found a fabulous farmers' market in Old Scottsdale - maybe one of the best markets we've ever visited. Too bad we were so full as there were many things to sample which we passed by. We did buy some cider which had been pressed the day before. Then, we had a really, really relaxing day...basking by the pool. Mark met a lovely retired man from Canada who actually lives with his wife at the hotel for 2 1/2 months! They had two long philosophical talks about life, retirement and noticing the things around you.
Alas! The resort life had to come to an end for us. Just a hint of the high life for us! We drove, again in the wind, to Indio where we checked into a timeshare where we've stayed before. It is very modest, more our style, I guess!
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| Greta Arn |
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| Julia Cohen |
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| Michael Yani |
Otherwise, we have just enjoyed sitting in the hot tub and reading. ("Noises Off!") We did go to see one of the movies that was nominated this year for the Oscar's Best Picture, "Hugo" by Martin Scorcese. We enjoyed it, but agreed that "The Artist" was better. They both, curiously, were tributes to the silent film makers.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Week 4 - second half - crossing the South
The last half of this week was a travel week.
After a night in the Panhandle, we drove Route 10 to Lafayette, Louisiana. We planned a stop in the Atchafalaya Swamp where we wanted to do some birding. So, we got off on a recommended route which said that we'd go about 12 miles on a gravel road. Hmmmm. We drove and drove. On the left was mainly a high levee which we could not see over and was marked as "no trespassing." On the right was a swampy forest. I think all we saw were a few crows! Plus, we also passed by some pretty funky dwellings where the guys from the movie "Deliverance" would have felt right at home! We ended up driving about 20 miles where we hit another road and then drove to Lafayette. Oh well - we tried. In Lafayette, we ate at Prejean's Restaurant, noted for its Cajun cooking. Mark had a delicious sausage and chicken gumbo and I had a wonderful seafood gumbo. We also had some shrimp appetizer and a crawfish enchilada. All was yummy and we left very, very full.
The next day, we drove all the way to Austin, Texas, a new town for us. We took the 'scenic' route and left Route 10, which was probably a mistake as we hit quite a lot of traffic around Houston. Mark also got stopped by the police for going 56 in a 45 mph zone. Luckily, he only got a warning. Whew!
We stayed for 2 nights at a La Quinta in downtown Austin. It was a nice hotel.
The night we got there, we did a lot of walking, seeking barbecue, as well as getting our bearings. We walked Red River Street down to the river and along what they call Town Lake. (Really part of the river.) We eventually ate at IronWorks Barbecue which was recommended by a local. I had chicken and Mark had ribs.
The next day, our only full day in Austin, we went to Zilker Botanical Garden to start our day. It was clearly not the best time of year for the garden which seemed pretty rundown and little was in bloom. Still, it was a nice stroll. The day was very windy and we decided to go to a movie at mid-day. We have been wanting to go to a movie ever since we left the island, but never found the time. As the Oscars had been only 2 nights before, we felt lucky that "The Artist" which won "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" was still showing. The theater itself was great - lounge chairs and ottomans. But, the movie was great; we both really loved it. Afterwards, we walked to a wonderful sushi restaurant. Later, we walked to the State Capitol Building where we walked the grounds and went inside. The rotunda was quite amazing. The grounds were beautiful, but that Texas spirit of secession was a bit 'in your face'. Suffice it to say, Texas politics are not our favorites....Rick Perry governor. Ugh.
To end the week on another high note, we drove from Austin to El Paso. Wow - our longest day's drive yet - about 600 miles. But, en route, we stopped at Enchanted Rock State Park, about 100 miles out of Austin, on strong recommendations from our friends, Fran & Al, who taught at the University of Texas for many years. Anyhow, we drove through the lovely German town of Fredericksburg and then drove 17 miles north to the State Park. Enchanted Rock is the largest single rock in the U.S., bigger than Stone Mt in Georgia. It is the second largest rock in the world, second to Ayers Rock in Australia. The weather cleared just as we arrived and it was good climbing weather. Mark climbed the entire way up. Whew! Vertigo hit me about 2/3's of the way up, so I stopped and waited for him to come down. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we drove to El Paso, across terrain that became suddenly very Western. Beautiful, although windy. We stopped at the best Comfort Inn we've ever slept at there. They had fresh-baked cookies and tacos for the guests and a fire going. The room was fabulous and we managed to do a laundry.
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| Austin Botanical Garden |
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| Austin Botanical Garden Gate |
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| Austin Botanical Garden |
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| Bee in the flower, Austin |
The next day, we drove all the way to Austin, Texas, a new town for us. We took the 'scenic' route and left Route 10, which was probably a mistake as we hit quite a lot of traffic around Houston. Mark also got stopped by the police for going 56 in a 45 mph zone. Luckily, he only got a warning. Whew!
We stayed for 2 nights at a La Quinta in downtown Austin. It was a nice hotel.
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| Fran's Burgers, Austin |
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| Mark climbed to the top of the rock! |
The next day, our only full day in Austin, we went to Zilker Botanical Garden to start our day. It was clearly not the best time of year for the garden which seemed pretty rundown and little was in bloom. Still, it was a nice stroll. The day was very windy and we decided to go to a movie at mid-day. We have been wanting to go to a movie ever since we left the island, but never found the time. As the Oscars had been only 2 nights before, we felt lucky that "The Artist" which won "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" was still showing. The theater itself was great - lounge chairs and ottomans. But, the movie was great; we both really loved it. Afterwards, we walked to a wonderful sushi restaurant. Later, we walked to the State Capitol Building where we walked the grounds and went inside. The rotunda was quite amazing. The grounds were beautiful, but that Texas spirit of secession was a bit 'in your face'. Suffice it to say, Texas politics are not our favorites....Rick Perry governor. Ugh.
To end the week on another high note, we drove from Austin to El Paso. Wow - our longest day's drive yet - about 600 miles. But, en route, we stopped at Enchanted Rock State Park, about 100 miles out of Austin, on strong recommendations from our friends, Fran & Al, who taught at the University of Texas for many years. Anyhow, we drove through the lovely German town of Fredericksburg and then drove 17 miles north to the State Park. Enchanted Rock is the largest single rock in the U.S., bigger than Stone Mt in Georgia. It is the second largest rock in the world, second to Ayers Rock in Australia. The weather cleared just as we arrived and it was good climbing weather. Mark climbed the entire way up. Whew! Vertigo hit me about 2/3's of the way up, so I stopped and waited for him to come down. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we drove to El Paso, across terrain that became suddenly very Western. Beautiful, although windy. We stopped at the best Comfort Inn we've ever slept at there. They had fresh-baked cookies and tacos for the guests and a fire going. The room was fabulous and we managed to do a laundry.
Week 4 - first half....in Florida
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| Great Egret in Mating Display |
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| Alice, Bev, Ted in Vero Beach |
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| Cal, Barbara in Vero Beach |
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| Michael at Lake Worth Beach |
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| Nancy at Lake Worth Beach |
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| Tri colored Heron at Green Cay |
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| Red winged blackbird |
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| Michael and Mark with their Twin Priuses! |
We spent the last night with Cal and Alice and were sad to say goodbye.
On Sunday, February 22, we left Vero and drove to Tallahassee.
Goodbye Florida!
Week 3 - My birthday week!
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| Roseate Spoonbill at Wakotahatchee |
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| Soft Shelled Turtle - Wakotahatchee |
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| Green Heron - Wakotahatchee |
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| Wood Stork at Wakotahatchee |
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| Anhinga at Wakotahatchee. Note turquoise eye patch |
Ted, Bev, Mark and I rented kayaks one day and kayaked the inland waterway around Vero Beach. We had a nice picnic on one of the islands. We saw a lot of birds - egrets, herons, pelicans, storks mainly. The last 20 minutes we paddled pretty hard against the wind, but, overall, it was an idyllic day. That night, we went with Cal & Alice, Ted & Bev to Jack Baker's Fish Shanty and had a yummy meal.
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| Florida Scrub Jay at Ft Pierce |
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| Roost at Wakotahatchee |
Later in the day, we visited McKee Botanical Gardens in Vero Beach where we wandered among palms and banyans.
In the late afternoon, Bev and Ted hosted a wonderful surprise party for me. The big surprise was Mike and Nancy having driven up from Vero. They had balloons, lots of food, a yummy cake made by Nancy. Wonderful. Mark gave me presents of: water booties, a new thermos (as he always takes and then loses mine!) and....ruby earrings! Wow. I was very spoiled and feel like a very lucky person. Even though I turned 62, which is a bit depressing.
Mark did quite a lot of cooking when we were in Vero - salmon dinner, corned beef, fabulous chicken & rice soup. Alice, age 89, and I went every morning to the exercise room where she did at least 15 minutes of bicyling as she finds it relieves her sciatica pain. I used the treadmill.
We drove back down to Lake Worth to visit Mike and Nancy again. They are redoing their kitchen, so we visited the place where they have picked granite slabs for their counters. We also visited a huge warehouse of tile, sinks and faucets.
A real highlight of this week included 2 bird walks at Wakotahatchee Wildlife Preserve in DelRay Beach, not too far from Mike and Nancy's. Wow - it was amazing. There is a boardwalk which goes through the swamp, which is reclaimed land a water plant. There were hundreds of nesting birds - many, many egrets, herons, cormorants and anhingas. The many nests were full of baby birds which kept the parents busy bringing food. There were many moorhens and teal ducks. There were many white ibis and glossy ibis and red-winged blackbirds. We saw a wonderful roseate spoonbill and...Mark and Nancy saw a purple gallinule. (Darn! I missed it.) It is one of Otis's favorite birds. In addition, there were many soft shelled turtles and gators. I know that I have not listed all of the birds, but, suffice it to say, it was wonderful to see them so close up. As they were in mating season, many of them have eye coloring which disappears after the season and we could really see the patched up close.
Week Two - Florida
We arrived in Florida and went straight to Vero Beach where Mark's parents live. The weather was a bit cold, with even a day of rain, so we did not get in a beach day. We split the week between Vero and Lake Worth.
We visited friends Ted and Bev, who, by complete happenstance, rented a house less than 3 miles from where Mark's parents are. We all went to their house for a barbecue one night, which was fun.
The highlight of the week was a full day at the Wellington Jazz Festival. Ted, Bev, Mark and I all stayed at Mike and Nancy's. We had a little bit of a challenge finding the correct polo field where the festival was held. As Mike and Nancy had found a great deal on Living Social, we had VIP seating which included tickets for beverages, too. We stayed there from around 11 a.m. until around 9 p.m. As the sun went down, it got really cold. (low 50's) So, Michael and Ted went back to the house to get sweatshirts, socks and blankets so we could all wrap up. We all took test drives in various Lincolns which donated $20 per person to the local high school's music program. The highlight of the day, we all agreed, was Richard Eliot. The headliner, Mindy Abair, seemed a bit tired, not to mention really cold. Ted and Bev bought a CD of Richard Eliot's and made copies for us all. We all piled into the hot tub to get our bones warmed up when we got back to Michael and Nancy's.
The next day was also a real treat. We went in the twin Prius cars to Miami. We visited Michelle's newest apartment and picked up Julie, a junior at University of Miami. Then, we drove to Cocoanut Grove to visit an art festival. It was really hot - high 80's. (Talk about a change in temperature between the two days.) We walked around and then went to a fabulous Mexican restaurant. Nancy and I split an Ahi Tuna sandwich which was yummy. After lunch, we dropped Julie off at her dorm, and the rest of us went to the University of Miami Women's Basketball game. Coincidentally, they were playing the same team we saw last year - Florida State. Two of the women on the team are in the top #10 college players and one (Bay Bay) is a friend of Shelley's. Afterwards, we all drove home - tired and happy.
We visited friends Ted and Bev, who, by complete happenstance, rented a house less than 3 miles from where Mark's parents are. We all went to their house for a barbecue one night, which was fun.
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| MindiAbair |
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| Mark and Nancy at Jazz Festival |
The next day was also a real treat. We went in the twin Prius cars to Miami. We visited Michelle's newest apartment and picked up Julie, a junior at University of Miami. Then, we drove to Cocoanut Grove to visit an art festival. It was really hot - high 80's. (Talk about a change in temperature between the two days.) We walked around and then went to a fabulous Mexican restaurant. Nancy and I split an Ahi Tuna sandwich which was yummy. After lunch, we dropped Julie off at her dorm, and the rest of us went to the University of Miami Women's Basketball game. Coincidentally, they were playing the same team we saw last year - Florida State. Two of the women on the team are in the top #10 college players and one (Bay Bay) is a friend of Shelley's. Afterwards, we all drove home - tired and happy.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Week One
We have decided that a weekly entry is more appropriate for us this year. As we begin this trip, we have thought about what themes it would embrace. One year, the theme was "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" as we tried to eat at places recommended by Guy Fieri.
This year, we think we will have several themes. One is definitely - Birds. We are starting to become birdwatchers and are rank novices, but we hope to visit bird preserves and hopefully participate in a few bird walks. We also will continue to celebrate our 30th anniversary year with 30 Cool Things and those will also be part of this trip.
This past week has been very family oriented. We started by 2 nights in Concord, Massachusetts visiting Jecca, Willy, Otis and Henry. Willy made two amazing Mexican meals while we were there - enchiladas and quesedillas. Unfortunately, poor Henry was sick and had to spend two days home. The consequence was renting a rug cleaner to help them clean up! Oh dear.
Then, we spent two days in Binghamton visiting my Mom and Bob. We had a lovely stay at Kathy and Jay's house. Mark and Kathy made an amazing meal of cod, crabcakes, twice-baked potatoes, salad, broccoli gratin and fruit tart. It was appreciated by all.
Then, we drove to Richmond and simply stayed by the side of the road. But, the next night we treated ourselves to the Inn on Ellis Square in Savannah, which we found on the internet. ($79 per night, including breakfast!) We strolled the waterfront and ate at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the river - The Chart House. Mark had mixed grill of catfish, oysters and crab; I had a wonderful jambalaya, filled with mussels, shrimp and scallops. Yum - this day will be added to our 30 Cool Things List. Afterwards, we strolled some of the historic squares. We bought some homemade praline to take to Cal and Alice.
We end our first week in Vero Beach with the wonderful Cal and Alice, Mark's parents. They are amazing people. Cal, at age 89, is making a gorgeous grandfather clock and teaching another man to make one alongside him. Alice, age 90, visits the exercise room daily to ride the exercise bike. Amazing. Mark and I walked the boardwalk at Vero last night. The weather is a bit cloudy and chilly; it even rained yesterday. But, we are happy to be here.
This year, we think we will have several themes. One is definitely - Birds. We are starting to become birdwatchers and are rank novices, but we hope to visit bird preserves and hopefully participate in a few bird walks. We also will continue to celebrate our 30th anniversary year with 30 Cool Things and those will also be part of this trip.
This past week has been very family oriented. We started by 2 nights in Concord, Massachusetts visiting Jecca, Willy, Otis and Henry. Willy made two amazing Mexican meals while we were there - enchiladas and quesedillas. Unfortunately, poor Henry was sick and had to spend two days home. The consequence was renting a rug cleaner to help them clean up! Oh dear.
Then, we spent two days in Binghamton visiting my Mom and Bob. We had a lovely stay at Kathy and Jay's house. Mark and Kathy made an amazing meal of cod, crabcakes, twice-baked potatoes, salad, broccoli gratin and fruit tart. It was appreciated by all.
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| Savannah |
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| Chart House |
We end our first week in Vero Beach with the wonderful Cal and Alice, Mark's parents. They are amazing people. Cal, at age 89, is making a gorgeous grandfather clock and teaching another man to make one alongside him. Alice, age 90, visits the exercise room daily to ride the exercise bike. Amazing. Mark and I walked the boardwalk at Vero last night. The weather is a bit cloudy and chilly; it even rained yesterday. But, we are happy to be here.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
On the Road Again! - U.S.A.
February 1
We just finished two wonderful plays at the high school: Enchanted April and Murdered to Death. We had two wonderful casts and a great backstage crew. We started rehearsing in October and just finished 3 days ago. Two plays call for a lot of energy as you have to have two rehearsals, two sets of props, two sets of costumes, separate furniture, two different dress rehearsals, lighting cues, sound cues, programs....
The normal depression of being done with such an ephemeral project has set in, especially as we hate saying goodbye every year to the seniors in Drama Club.
However, we are also tired and ready to leave the island for a while. We left 14-year old Kelby behind with Nick today and caught the morning boat. I think it may be the first time in our lives that we didn't get advance tickets - just took the chance that there would be room and there is plenty; the boat is practically empty.
We are driving our 2010 black Prius.
We just finished two wonderful plays at the high school: Enchanted April and Murdered to Death. We had two wonderful casts and a great backstage crew. We started rehearsing in October and just finished 3 days ago. Two plays call for a lot of energy as you have to have two rehearsals, two sets of props, two sets of costumes, separate furniture, two different dress rehearsals, lighting cues, sound cues, programs....
The normal depression of being done with such an ephemeral project has set in, especially as we hate saying goodbye every year to the seniors in Drama Club.
However, we are also tired and ready to leave the island for a while. We left 14-year old Kelby behind with Nick today and caught the morning boat. I think it may be the first time in our lives that we didn't get advance tickets - just took the chance that there would be room and there is plenty; the boat is practically empty.
We are driving our 2010 black Prius.
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