'Tis the Season

The month of December is jam packed with excitement. Well, every year it starts off with a glorious day. A day in which I inherit another year's worth of wisdom and maturity. This year, my sis (the one from the previous post who absolutely rocks) made me a gorgeous cake. It was poppyseed cake with two filling layers of freshly sliced strawberries. YUM.

The first weekend after my birthday, we celebrated Festivus with some of my best college pals. It was a great reunion and welcoming back to the west coast. We thoroughly enjoyed the tradition we started in college of a potluck thanksgiving dinner with friends. Mikey has perfected the turkey roasting and was a gracious host to us all. Happy Festivus!!

Sis hosted a holiday party the following weekend. I have mentioned the profiteroles. YUM.

Dad took us to a local holiday play in San Jose to help enjoy the spirit of Christmas. I greatly enjoyed the production and the experience of the very small playhouse. The entire play was acted with two actors. I laughed. I cried. It was a good show.

At home, in Jack London Square, we are relishing in the California style holiday decorations. The palm tree grove is covered in christmas lights. They flash in all different patterns and colors. You can even text your color/pattern requests. First requested, first played. Holidy Buy Night in the Jack London Square Farmer's Market Building was the perfect opportunity for me to get all my christmas shopping done. And I did. It was wonderful to meet the local vendors and buy locally made products for my loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

Pumpkin Profiteroles

You may know that my sis is professionally trained in baking goodness. She hosted a holiday party this past weekend and served many scrumptious treats. The most scrumptious of all were the pumpkin profiteroles. YUMM!

Imagine a poppable (bit-size) profiterole (usually served with ice cream in the middle) with pumpkin cream inside topped with a maple caramel sauce and sprinkled with toasted walnuts. You're imagining goodness, right? The pumpkin cream she made from scratch by whipping up whipped cream and adding her own spices to mimic the pumpkin pie flavor, then she folded in real pumpkin. It was delightful. She also made the maple caramel sauce from scratch, on the stove, right in front of me. I was happy to be the taste tester for all components and proud to say that I toasted and chopped the nuts. What else are sisters for?

I apologize for not having a picture to share. I was too busy popping the profiteroles in my mouth. Did I mention YUMM?

Is it eavesdropping when you can't help it?

"I thought I was going to have to beat you over the thumb."

This is what I thought I heard the sweet girl with a southern accent say over her cell phone just a few seats down from me on Amtrak. She's talking to a loved one and thought they were crying about how they missed each other. In retrospect, she probably said "phone" not thumb.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

For me, today, it's the banana and fresh strawberries in the kitchen. They are calling my name.

What is this falling from the sky?

Rain? I thought I moved to sunny California.

In seriousness, the rain is good. We're apparently in year three of a drought. I saw the most convoluted sentence on the State's Department of Water Resources website saying that the recent major rainstorms did not significantly reduce our accumulated water supply deficit.

Several sunny days this week allowed is to use the pool, the hot tub, and the wogging path. Life is good.

Happy Weekending!

Phew!

We are home. Our travels were splendid, fun, awesome, and a tad tiring. We have a busy weekend of unloading Fred and unpacking, but we are so glad that we aren't travelling anymore, it doesn't seem like a chore.

I think I just made a rhyme. You be the judge.

Happy Halloween!

Scrumptious Autumn

A and I are driving 95 in CT and appreciating the beautiful fall colors of New England. We are on our way from Eastham, MA on Cape Cod to the District of Columbia. We've been on the move since October 8th.

After a quick stop to get our new apartment in Oakland we headed down to Los Angeles for a few days. The traffic there hasn't changed. The freeways are still massive and filled with plenty of people. I think some double decker highways are in order down there.

We lived the So Cal life in Long Beach for a few days. Sis and A had fun while I was working and we all enjoyed dinner with Grandma, a tour of the St. Mary, and a trip to Universal Studios. The new Simpsons ride was GREAT! The absence of a crowd meant we could re-live the wonderful days of childhood where we ran from the exit of a rollercoaster right back around to the entrance over and over again. We'll always be kids at heart. The Jurassic Park ride soaked us many times. We screamed and laughed a lot! That's the American dream, right? Churros, screams, roller coasters, and bad jokes. We had a blast and were scrumptiously entertained. I was particularly impressed with the larger than life Whoopi Goldberg cut out welcoming us to the tram ride. Instead of a lion or mouse, Universal has an Oscar Winning Whoopi as their mascot.

From Universal Studios we said "see you later" to Sis at the airport and took a red eye to Boston. Didn't we just leave there? Amazingly, it felt great to be back, even though we weren't really. A recognized the landmarks of the region from the airplane as we approached in the morning sun. The fall colors were abundant and gleefully gorgeous.

We hopped in a bright blue 2010 VW Beetle at the Rental Car lot and headed for Cape Cod. We joined up with A's family in a super relaxing house in Eastham and attended a beautiful wedding at the Orleans Inn. The bride and groom had their names printed on Hershey's chocolate bars! It poured rain during the whole wedding, but we hardly noticed. It was a sunny day inside.

We worked hard to finish the 1000 piece puzzle that was started before we arrived and went for a lovely walk on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. It was the most relaxing two days I've had since .... hmmm... I don't remember.

Today is beautiful and sunny. I understand we missed some snow in New England while we were gone. We are grateful for the good weather for our glorious drive in the blue beetle to DC.

Home Sweet Home

After a wonderful night in A's childhood 'hood, we have a signed lease and have a new apartment. Waaaaaa Whooooo!!!!

Sis came up to be our first visitor. We enjoyed lunch at Bocanova in Jack London Square, unloaded our car, and are off on more travels via airplane. HeShe (the car) is glad to have a rest!

First destination: LAX.
A and Sis are coming on the trip to have some So Cal fun while I do business.

It certainly feels great to be back in the Bay Area. Our new home has amenities that our old home did not: washer/dryer in the unit, hot tub, pool, Jack London Square, walking path along the bay, and much more! The four flights of stairs will help us get in shape, or encourage us to have groceries delivered to the house. We'll see.

Our road to heaven

Today is our last full day on the road. This trip has gone by fast. Neither of us are tired of being in the car. We are still enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest as we travel south from Eugene, OR.

The hills are covered in a foggy mist which makes for scrumptious views. Heading up one long uphill road into the clouds A said it was "our road to heaven". We are on our way to the heavenly state of CA.

Oregon's fall colors, sheep, and cows are entertaining us along the way. We had a great time with Andrew and Lynn despite the pooring rain in Eugene. Andrew's giant TV (seriously, movie theaters might make an offer to buy this thing) inspired us to buy a Wii now rather than later.

We bought a Wii!
We have a Wii!
We named it Wiible.

Last night there were many boxing, bowling, basketball, frisbee, and more competitions. My Mii wears pink. She is sooo cute.

Road Trip Stats:
Miles from Longmeadow: 3,420.
Number of States entered: 13 (including Ontario)

Apples to Apples

We hummed and hawed over the option to go to the Haunted Corn Maze and the boys decided to play a video game featuring barfing zombies. This was less scary than humans lurking in dark corn fields with chainsaws. The video zombies were only interim entertainment until the Apples to Apples connection arrived.

Apples to Apples is the best game ever! It's one that anyone can play and is perfect for more than four people, unlike Candyland. A and I find Apples to Apples is a great game to play with groups of people we don't know well. He is really good at it! If you haven't played Apples to Apples give it a try! AND feel free to invite us to play!

Hello Oregon

The drive from Seattle was rainy and slow. There are many more people on I-5 than in North Dakota and Montana combined.

We're in the hospitality of A's brother in Eugene for the next day. Apparently the haunted corn maze here is pretty fun.... We'll see if we are brave enough to enter.

Our lucky day

Amber has shown us a fabulous time in Seattle this evening. We visited the fish throwing public market, strolled the Chittenden Locks, and dined a scrumptious seafood dinner at Ray's Boathouse. All of the fun culminated in 6 cupcakes for the price of 3! Cupcake Royale in the Ballard neighborhood should be added to all Seattle future cupcakerie tours.

Cascades

We're driving through the Cascade Range at Snoqualmie Pass. We had gorgeous views of Glacier Peak covered in snow rising above everything, including the clouds. Mt. Rainier seems to be hiding in the clouds.

The drive across WA has been breathtaking. This state has it all, farmland, gorgeous gorge, mountains, ocean, and Amber! What more can we ask for?

The Gorge

Somewhere in central WA.

Leaving Idaho

Coeur d'Alene is even more beautiful in the daylight! We're on the road to Seattle. See you in a few hours, Amber!

Coeur d'Alene

If you haven't been to Coeur d'Alene, ID I highly recommend it. We are about 40 miles outside of Spokane, WA. Coeur d'Alene has a very fun little downtown area on the lake. We strolled the boardwalk which goes out on the lake in a horseshoe shaped path.

The weather is wonderful. It's cool but not cold and the air has the fresh smell which follows the rain.

One thing to note is that restaurants close early. It was tough to find an open establishment serving dinner at 8 30PM. We thought it would be fun to try the Coeur d'Alene Brewery but they closed their kitchen at 8PM due to the lack of demand. The Mexican Restaurant across the street, Toro Viejo was surprisingly delicious! The chips and salsa were scrumptiously crunchy and salsa-y. A is a qualified Mexican food connoisseur, so you can trust is when we tell you the Mexican food we had in Idaho is worth going back for.

That's the word from the 11th state of the trip.

Welcome to Idaho!

Idaho's welcome sign was a rectangle, not shaped like the state. We are in the Pacific Time Zone now, but Pearl is still on east coast time.

It's dark and rainy in this state. We're headed to Coeur d'Alene for the night.

Misty West Montana

We stopped for gas and Lemonheads in Butte, MT. We're getting into the mountains.

More signs for the list:
Life.... A beautiful choice.
Pure Wool. No Bull.
Without the bread of life, you're toast.
Crazy Mountains

We've come 2,440 miles since Longmeadow. Montana is the 10th state for this trip. Gertrude says we'll be in Seattle at midnight. We haven't crossed into the Pacific Time Zone yet and probably will stop to sleep before we reach Seattle.

We passed through some serious rain clouds and their accompanying rain, but the temperature at 60 degrees relieves our worries about ice. It's sunny again. We're chasing the sun towards the West Coast.

Lunching in Billings

A and I see dining at one of our favorite establishments across the U.S. : Cracker Barrel.
Signs we've seen in Montana include:

C'mon Inn
Howdy Hotel
Lewis and Clark Trail
Welcome to Beef Country

P.S. Last night we saw the Home on the Range sign in North Dakota. There were no services at that exit, so I hope the folks at Home on the Range have what they need.

Go ahead, sing. Home, Home on the Range....

Jimmy Buffet also proves to be great road trip music.

Good Morning Montana!

When we crossed the border last night everything was dark. It was pitch dark after we traveled back in time to 7PM. There was a sign posted when we entered mountain time! I had been worried that we wouldn't know what time zone we were in. There are signs welcoming is to new states, but time zone signs are less common, I feel.

We had a very restful sleep and woke up to the beautiful frost tipped plains of eastern Montana. The terrain has become more rugged (less rolling) and interesting but is not yet mountainous. There seem to be plenty of cows and farms in this state as well as the previous states we drove through.

We are 230 miles from Bullings, MT and listening to Neil Gaiman's novel "Stardust".

Hunkered Down

We are hunkered down at the only Inn in Wibaux, MT. It's starting to snow outside... Hopefully it will be done in the morning.

New Salem Sue

And.... We just waved to New Salem Sue, the world's largest cow statue.

Bismarck, ND

We just stopped in Bismarck, ND for Taco Tuesday at Taco Johns and we are back on the road. We're naming all of the farm animals we see from the road. Many of the cows share the name Bessy and many of the sheep share the name Fred.

Fargo!

We just walked Fargo's Walk of Fame! When Hollywood is under water, the U.S. will always have Fargo's stamped hands and footprints in concrete. Weird Al, Bert and Ernie, Def Leopard, Barney, Bill Gates, Barney, The Monkeys, and more! They had to relocate it from downtown to the visitor center off the highway. That made for a convenient road stop. Of course, then I wanted to drive thru downtown Fargo, which we did. It looks like a nice, very agricultural, place.

The billboards encourage folks to R.A.P (report all poachers).

We're back on 94 now with a speed limit of 75. Waaaaawhooooo!

I was informing A of the "World's Largest" features along 94. These include the largest Buffalo, Sand Hill Crane, and Holstein named Sue. When I clarified that they are statues and not real animals, he said "At least the ball of twine was real and not just a statue of a ball of twine."

We've come 1,640 miles since Longmeadow. Gertrude says we'll get to Seattle at 9 am, but we might stop to sleep a couple times before we get there.

Roadside America

The website with directions to fun roadstops is called Roadside America. That's how we found the giant ball of twine. It was pretty darn big eh. There was not much else happening in Darwin, MN. One other couple had stopped while we were oogling. One of them had even been there before!

We are on I-94 headed to Fargo, ND.

It's a beautiful sunny day and fun to see the farms covered in snow. It's a good thing the ball of twine has a glass gazebo to protect it from weather and birds. Imagine how many nests could be made with all that twine!

Minneapolis Fun!

We had a BLAST with Sam and Jason in their new home and tasting cupcakes in Minneapolis. I felt like we moved in since we were there when the movers arrived. We had a real bed to sleep in once the movers brought it. Our shampoo was in the shower. A helped set up the TV and the Wii. It felt like home. Armando tried to stay by hiding behind a box. He doesn't realize that he would be very unhappy in a Minnesota winter. Photos are on Picasa. One event not captured on camera was Date Night at the local Italian restaurant. Dinner for two includes one appetizer, two entrees, a dessert, and a bottle of wine for $40. Sam and Jason have already befriended the waitstaff. They are really going to enjoy life in Eden Prairie.


This morning we are driving through rural Minnesota a bit to see the World's Largest Ball of Twine rolled by one person. It's wonderful scenery along the road. Farms, barns, silos, fields of corn, fields of dry grass, fall colored trees, and remnants from yesterday's snow storm. I love snow. Yesterday was winter and today we are back in fall. I love Mother Nature's adventures.

Good Morning Minneapolis!

I wasn't ready to get up, but A laughed so hard when he looked out the window, I just had to see.
It is beautiful! I love snow. Happy "Winter comes before Halloween around here" Day.

Welcome to Minnesota!

We'll be here for two nights.

Larger than life animal statues

Speaking of giant buffalo statues.... It appears that folks in middle America also enjoy making larger than life animal statues.

We have seen a giant rooster, a super large apple (or tomato), many giant mice climbing up to or sitting on enormous hunks of cheese, and two super sized orange moose. The mice and moose were sighted in Wisconsin. There are A LOT of cheese stores in that state! There were not one, but TWO (which is one more than one) orange moose outside of the Orange Moose Bar and Grill. There we're even arches over each moose to frame it appropriately for a Kodak moment. It was dark and late when we drove by, otherwise I would've climbed up for a photo op.

We are 45 minutes from Sam and Jason's place. We have traveled 1,288 miles since Longmeadow, MA and are almost in the eighth state of the trip: Minnesota! The state tally includes Ontario Canada.

On a side note: We are sad for the Red Sox and the Twins who are BOTH out of the running now. Our cheers move to the Rockies.

We just passed a sign for Bobbleheads Sports Bar and Grill. I wonder if they have as many bobbleheads as Jason has Pez dispensers.

Welcome to Wisconsin!

The coolest welcome sign I've seen... We passed under a bridge which had stonework that said Welcome to Wisconsin. I was unable to catch it on camera, but Armando saw it too.

Road Musings

We are skirting around Chicago on 294. We just stopped for gas, gummy bears, an energy drink, and to use the restrooms.
Today we have entertained ourselves by watching the scenic farms of Michigan. Why did red become the chosen color for barns? I like it, just wondering who picked it and why?

We caught up on the MLB happenings through Pearl.

We've been listening to various music and short stories by Neil Gaiman. I have a hard time telling when one story ends and the next begins. I wish there were chimes between them. Sometimes, we pause and discuss the story because I often have questions.

We made a secret stop to buy something to share at Sam and Jason's tonight. I'll tell you about it later. They read these updates and we won't be there for another six hours.

Armando keeps asking if we are there yet. Adrian just told me I have beautiful eyes. He wants you to know that the buffalo statue outside of Joel's Frontyard Steakhouse was much bigger than lifesize. Please consider this a correction to my previous post.

Lunch

What more could one need from a road stop than tractor supplies and a Steak 'n Shake? Cracker Barrel had too long of a wait, but is also very appropriate road food. This is our first time at Steak 'n Shake. It's kind of an upscale In 'n Out with Johnny Rockets atmosphere and table service. We are sharing a Butterfinger milkshake and awaiting our steakburgers.

The waitress says we are in Grand Ledge, MI.

Welcome to Michigan!

We are back in the U.S. As A said "It's amazing how stressful crossing the border is." Armando was able to cross without a passport. The check into the U.S. was much more thorough than entering Canada. He poked through our trunk and backseat loaded with stuff. I think he was trying to decide whether he needed a new computer. I guess green stickers just aren't his style because he left my laptop for us. He didn't even want the apple or guacamole we have in the cooler.

We're on the road to Flint, MI now. HeShe (the car, we don't know if it's a he or a she) is driving great. We have traveled 600 miles since Longmeadow....

We just saw Elk for sale. Overall, animal sightings have been plentiful. Hawks, herons, gulls, cows, Canadian cows, geese, brown squirrels, black squirrels, a vulture, tweet tweet birds, and lots of used to be animals along the road.

a Suite for my Sweet

We are staying at a Quality Suites outside of London, Ontario tonight. Canada in the dark looks just like any other place in the dark. We're heading west towards Sarnia, Ontario where we'll cross back into the U.S. arriving in Minneapolis, MN tomorrow night. Go Twins!!!

(We thought we'd have time to explore Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but our country is so darn big...we're saving that for another time. London to Minneapolis is a 12 hour drive according to Google.)

Walking around Niagara Falls was beautiful! The massive amount of water and mist among fall colored trees back-lit by a setting sun was absolutely scrumptious. I'll upload pics to picasa momentarily.

We're on the Rainbow Bridge waiting to enter Canada.

This sign is outside the ticket booth for tours down to the bottom and behind the falls. I'm not sure damp is the right word. Wet or DRENCHED might be more appropriate.

a cellular pic of Horseshoe Falls.

Made it to Niagara Falls!

Lunch stop outside of Oneida, NY: Joel's Front Yard Stakehouse.

How can you pass up a restaurant with a lifesize buffalo statue? They are all decked out for Halloween. It feels like being in a haunted house. There are ghosts hanging from the carousel. Yes, there is a carousel in here. We are sitting next to a warm fire.

Haunted eats!

Now entering New York State.

The autumn leaves along the turnpike are breathtaking.

Time Check

We're on the move. Entering the Massachusetts Turnpike from I-91 and heading west!

Meet Armando

Armando was given to Adrian by his mom long before I entered into A's life. Actually, Armando and I got off to a rocky start. I walked into his home (a blue plant stand) and his pot (holding him) crashed into pieces. A and I picked out a new pot (the one in the picture) and re-planted him with care. I think he has forgiven me, but I'm not sure. He's a pretty quiet plant of a guy. Armando adventured across the country with us in 2005 and is looking forward to seeing the country in reverse. Here's a picture of Armando from today's photo shoot:
We spent today in Longmeadow, MA (Thank you western MA Hobarts!) storing the motorcycle and doing laundry. Armando found some time to play in the leaves. Autumn in New England is a real treasure.

Tonight we root for the Red Sox. Tomorrow we head west (for real). The first bathroom break is scheduled for Niagara Falls.

Note: the photo link on the left now leads to pictures of our road trip. Starring..... Armando! There may be some guest appearances by C-bart and A. (We'll try to get the rest of the Asian Adventure pictures up once we are a bit settled.)

Earthquake preparedness

www.shakeout.org

If you're in CA you should definitely participate!

October 15 2009

Nomads

We drove away from our apartment. It's locked and the keys are inside. We are nomads cruising down the Massachusetts Turnpike.

It was a weird and somewhat solemn feeling pulling away from our home....

See You Later Boston Part 2

It seems like people know that it is my last day in Beantown (for a while).  On my way to work I was asked directions to the aquarium. I told him to follow the path along the water. Then, I was asked if there were any good pastry shops around. Boy, do I know pastry shops!! I gave him directions to Flour. Yum. He is going to love me for it and never know how to thank me.

 

As for me, I'm enjoying a large chai latte with skim milk from the Boston Common Coffee Co. They make the best chai lattes I've ever had. The milk is nice and fluffily steamed. AND They put cinnamon on top. Yum.

 

 

Jaywaking in Boston

Guess how much the fine is for getting caught jaywalking in Boston?   $1.

Guess how much the Mayor wants it to be?  $20.

Guess how much jaywalking I do on a daily basis getting to work in Boston?  priceless.

See You Later Boston

Tomorrow we say "See you later" to Boston. I'll miss our East Coast friends and family. I'll miss New England in the fall. I'll miss making snow angels in the front yard. I'll miss the annual cupcakerie tour! I'll miss the Red Sox. I'll miss running along the Charles River. I'll miss long walks through the City in the Spring. I'll miss the Make Way for Ducklings ducks in the Public Garden. I'll be back!!!

Fred has all of our stuff. Safe and sound, with two locks on his door. We'll see him again on October 30th. We've been cleaning the apartment and purging our remaining goods over the last few days. Our co-workers have hosted "see you later" lunches for us. We're set to go. Tomorrow night we leave for Stop #1: Uncle Alan's in Longmeadow, MA.

If you've ever wanted to visualize a packed Portable On Demand Storage unit there are a few pics on our picasa site in the album named Fred. It's an organized chaos. Trust me. All of the items were packed strategically by a licensed engineer.

A wrote this and I think it sums up our situation pretty well.  I, now, have the cold but A is feeling better!

 

"So we are packed, what a weekend…  The cold (illness) and the rain (from the sky) didn't help but we did it.  Our POD (Fred) is loaded and on its way to CA…  Now we have to clean up and wait to leave."

Time check

The PODS unit is packed. We call him "pod" as in "Whassup Pod!". The air mattress is inflated and we are crawling into insta bed.

Pod is scheduled to be picked up between 7 30 and 10 30 tomorrow am.

A New Beginning

With the start of fall, A and I are embarking on our next adventure. Our Adventure of October 2009 officially began today with the arrival of our portable storage unit.
My husband continues to amaze me. He is recovering from a cold. It was raining all day. Yet, he tirelessly carried box after box out to the storage unit and packed everything with care. I was busy boxing our remaining items and stayed pretty dry. I am truly amazed at the progress we made today. I am proud of ourselves for beginning the packing and purging process over a month ago. We have one more day of packing and loading and then we'll be nomads with only the clothes on our back.

Our October itinerary is packed with action so check back often to read the story of the day.

For those who like to read the last page of the book first. We'll be unpacking our PODS unit on Halloween. Not because it takes that long for the PODS unit to get to Oakland, but because we have adventures planned until then!

Scrumptious First Anniversary

(please sing along to the tune of Happy Birthday. I know you know it.)

 

Happy Anniversary to us!

Happy Anniversary to us!

Haaapppy Annnniveerrrrsssarry toooo Ussss.

Happy Anniversary to us!

 

Are you surprised to hear that we spent our first anniversary with most scrumptious eats?

 

We slept in, following the rule of Sunday (Sleep Until Nine or Noon) and walked downtown to the Prudential Tower. From our house this walk is about 1 hour. The weather was so lovely and warm we had to stop for a Gatorade. At the Prudential Tower we took the elevator to the 52nd floor where the Top of the Hub serves an AMAZING Sunday brunch. The views of Boston were most spectacular. Thank you Mother Nature for such clear skies on our special day.

 

Detailed pics of the meal are on our Picasa Website.

 

On the walk back from our SCRUMPTIOUS anniversary brunch, we were sucked into the EMS store. Of course, we made a few purchases...Then, it was amazingly magnetic. The movie theater pulled us in. We saw Inglorious Basterds. Who says we need to be conventional and romantic all day long? The movie got a thumbs up from both of us. It's Quentin Tarantino, so of course it's bloody, but there's a lot of good, well played, humor throughout the film.

 

We had a fabulous day and look forward to remembering our First Anniversary celebration in Boston with such glorious views. 

 

Before, I get back to packing... there's one more thing:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOBART!  (A's dad turned 60 today)

 

 

Shanghai Bubble

A and I know this bubble well. We wandered past it several times in Shanghai. The cruise we boarded for the Yangtze river was just down the way. This article explains the amazing feat accomplished under the bubble with an underground ferry terminal. It's interesting to the planner in me that the property owner had the foresight to plan for the highrise and protect the scenic view. I love the waterfront park serving as a ferry terminal concept.



I write this from 39,199 feet above Iowa.
(posted from a Virgin America flight via GoGo internet)

Water Animals

Sister and I spent a glorious day in Monterey CA yesterday. Here's how our fun went.

Stop #1
$10 per day parking lot one block from the Aquarium.

Stop #2
Snack shop across the street from the Aquarium for a ham and cheese croissant and a ham and cheese quiche. A warm and delicious breakfast for a day of water animal viewing.

Stop #3
Aquarium ticket taker man.

Stop #4
Restrooms

Stop #5
Otter Days information table. The posters and toy otters were not free. To get one you had to answer all of the questions on an activity sheet. We think we were older than the target audience by about 20 years, plus the questions involved reading. We did not get a poster or toy otter.

Stop #6
Kelp Forest and other fishy points in the main building. We had a blast watching the school old sardines swim in a circle. Tammy loved the Sea Otters. One was grooming and looked uber cute. We also liked the little beach birds in the Nature Center.

Stop #7
A bench outside. We needed a rest. We watched the bay and posted on each others facebook pages from our mobile internet devices.

Stop #8
The Secret Lives of Sea Horses. This was the main attraction for us. I'll tell you the big secret about sea horses. It's that the males get impregnated by the females. The males are the ones who give birth to many many many little sea horses from a kangaroo like pouch. Then the female comes back and impregnates him again. The sea horses use the model of create millions of babies so that a few will survive by chance. The rest get eaten. Have you seen a baby sea horse? They are tiny! Really tiny. If you were a whale or leopard shark and you sucked in a big gulp of ocean water, you wouldn't even know there were baby sea horses in it. They are that tiny. And so adorable!

Stop #9
Wild About Otters. It was the last weekend for the river otter exhibit. I'm not sure where the river otters are going, but apparently they have some where else to be.

Stop #10
Penguins. We couldn't go to the Aquarium and not say hello to the penguins. They would have been insulted.

Stop #11
A board game where we each were a hermit crab and had to spin the wheel to find out how many spaces we could move. For most of the game we landed on boring spaces, we didn't get eaten or rescued. Near the end, Tammy was just taking the lead when a human picked her up and the space said "game over". I won!

This reminds me of a fun game we played in the sea horses exhibit. We had to camouflage our sea horse to match his surroundings. Tammy was doing a great job changing the colors and spines on the sea horse when poof! A fish came by and ate it. We had no idea that was going to happen. After failing a second time, we were ready for the fish. I said "this is scary". She said "I'm stressed out". We were so nervous for our sea horse. We didn't want to kill another one. He lived! The game lit up and celebrated our job well done. We walked away while we were ahead. Phew. We went to the aquarium for a relaxing day and got stressed out over a little video game.

Stop #12
The gift shop. This is always relaxing for us. We found a few items to purchase and left in pursuit of a meal.

Stop #13
Amarin Thai Cuisine. We sat. We dined. We reminisced about all the cute little critters we saw.

Stop #14
Strolling down Cannery Row on a mission for a candied apple, I was distracted by the sock store. You should see the fun knee highs I got! We picked the Avalanche Apple which was covered in caramel, rice krispies, mini marshmallows, and drizzles of white and dark chocolate. They sliced it for us and we walked, talked, and ate our apple. Walking while eating sugar negates the calorie intake. Tammy didn't buy this theory.

Stop #15
The big grassy park at the end of Cannery Row. We watched otters, seals, birds, and kayakers out in the bay.

Stop #16
The car. We headed back up 101.

Stop #17
The Gilroy Factory outlets. Is it possible to not stop?

Stop #18
The couch. What a great day!

Amtrak

Continuing with a transportation theme, I'm blogging from a comfy seat on an Amtrak train which just departed San Jose and is headed for Sacramento. So far the ride is smooth, and I'm glad I don't have to drive. The ticket was a mere $32. A fine price to pay for peace of mind and some time to read, work, and play. The train is fully equipped with an outlet for my laptop. I haven't asked about WIFI.

From Sacramento I'm hopping on a bus coordinated by the conference to Tahoe. So Green! I'm hoping for some nice weather for four days in Tahoe.

Virgin America vs Jet Blue

To Anonymous, I'm still not a fan of first class options, but I did recognize the amenities in Main Cabin Select were way better than cattle class on Virgin. At least on Jet Blue everyone is the same and gets free all you can eat snacks!

On my recent flight with Virgin, the snacks were not free, the on demand movies cost $8, and most of the Direct TV channels were not getting reception. This put them right on par with Jet Blue in my book which makes free video games equal to free snacks for rating purposes. What kind of logic is that? Snacks are way more important than games.

I'll continue to fly both Jet Blue and Virgin. For now, the decision will be based on price and schedule. However, if Main Cabin Select seating is comparably priced for a Jet Blue flight, I'd choose Virgin for the amenities of free movies and free food.

A Scrumptious Idea:

I thought of this as I was watching the map channel and looking out the window on my last flight.

Something the airlines should implement in addition to neck rubs is a live camera connected to one of the TV channels showing the view under the airplane. Sometimes its straining to look out the window or there is a wing blocking the view. What about the people seated on the aisle? They don't have the view of the Grand Canyon or Salt Lake from 30,000 feet. It seems to me that a little camera looking down connected to the TVs wouldn't be too hard to install. I think people would enjoy it.

Virgin America

This is my second time flying Virgin America. I was very impressed on my last flight that anything I desired could be ordered through the little TV on the seatback in front of me. I got movies, food, and beverages. What more could I ask for?

Today I am wondering which button to push for a neck massage.

Coffee Talk

I'm sitting in the Boston airport and there is a Starbucks sharing a wall with Dunkin' Donuts. They are literally right next to each other. What is a New Englander to do?

Personally, I don't drink the juice of the coffee bean, so I am not conflicted. Though a donut is more tempting than some froo froo pastry from Starbucks. I ate a peach and will hold out for purchasing a lunchtime sandwich.

Autumn?

Here in Boston we all have our light jackets on. The air is cooling. I think it's almost fall time.

Vineyard-ing with the Obamas and Bill

A and I are hangin' with the Al and Tim on the Vineyard. Coincidentally President Obama and Hurricane Bill are scheduled to arrive tomorrow! I wogged and walked to Edgartown from the house this morning (it was far!) but had to see for my self the Obama souvenirs. There are t-shirts galore that say Obama 2009 - Martha's Vineyard Vacation. My favorite is a cardboard cutout of Sarah Palin wearing a N0bama 2012 shirt. Next to her mouth is a sharpie written call out bubble that says "I can see Martha's Vineyard from my house".

I hear Michelle and the girls are on the island already, but I haven't bumped into them yet. I've been practicing what I'm going to say if I run into Obama, even though I didn't bring appropiate presidential meeting clothes. I realize it's not likely that Barack and I will be hanging in the same places tomorrow...but, just in case, I'm working on my lines.

I swam in the pond twice today. Does that count for two showers? The heat and humidity is intense this weekend.

Happy Weekending!

Scrumptious Quotes

From my Sis upon receiving her dreamy ideal t-shirt:

 

"It does fit, I tried it on right away to make sure J It fits perfectly. I knew you'd be able to find me the t-shirt, you are the best sister ever!!"

 

 

From Sam, randomly:

 

"I thought I had found the perfect gummy bear when I got K-Mart brand bears last week... Little did I know that last night when at Target I would actually find the best-of-the-best gummy bear ever.  The Target brand (Market Pantry) has 10.5oz. bags of gummy bears for $0.99 each (compared to Haribo which is 7.5oz. for $1.79 each) and they are absolutely perfect in consistency and cuteness.  The even have tiny little paw prints on their tiny little gummy feet!  I prefer soft bears compared to ones that are harder on the outside and therefore harder to chew and these are just perfect!  My only hesitation with this particular variety is that there is a pink gummy bear included with all the 'normal' colors.  I'm not sure what flavor it is... perhaps strawberry.  I like it either way.

 

Next time you are at the Red Circle Boutique be sure to pick some up!"

 

 

Dreamy Creamy Vermont

Heading up to Martha's is always a treat. It's one of the last places in the country with no cell reception. Pearl took a break and I relished in being "un-plugged".

We spent the weekend in VT with much of A's family. The weekend was full of highlights, but the biggest was the 40th birthday party. It seemed like a quintessential VT party to me, but I'm a Cali girl. My judgement could be tainted. This party was fantabulous! It was put on by A's cousin's husband's brother. Got that? Taylor helps to run the family dairy farm (which is way fun) when he's not planning parties to celebrate 40th birthdays. There were about 10 people who had "Happy 40th Birthday" sung to them. A's cousin and her husband being two of them.

The party was held on family owned land (a hay field in the process of being turned organic) with a great view of the valley and no neighbors to disturb. Picture a big grassy green hill with a lit up white tent. Under the tent is a swing band, a table full of homemade desserts, and a couple kegs of VT beer. The "little cousins" (A's cousin's kids) were super awesome swing dancing partners. Colton wins the prize. He was demonstrating moves that will be all the rage soon. We enjoyed watching his enthusiasm and creativity all night long. There were rumors that he had a 3 hour nap prior to the party. Zoey didn't understand why she wasn't at the microphone singing, but her dancing was spectacular. Ella got kudos for not losing her flip flops through all the swing dancing. We had a great time!

The rest of the weekend involved:
-hot cinnamon rolls from Connie's Kitchen (I understand her kitchen has grown in size over the years),
-a trip to Willey's Country Store where Ella helped me pick out a purple t-shirt (I figure all Cali girls needa VT Country Store t-shirt),
-tubing on Caspian lake (Uncle Pete was a little confused on the hand signals, Jake, Jack, and A also rode the waves, I took pictures from the boat),
-lounging on the floating trampoline,
-catching up with everyone at the lakehouse,
-touring the Dairy Farm while the cows were being milked (Hi'i hooked a cows utters up to the pumping machine and then introduced A to a suckling calf. They stuck their hands in this toothless calf's mouth and pulled them out all slimy. Kris took our picture in front of the beautiful VT view),
-picking blueberries and raspberries on the farm (a never ending organic supply!)
-enjoying dinner prepared by Martha (assisted by Ann) which included delicious summertime corn on the cob (YUM!),
-dessert party! swing band! Colton!
-S.U.N.day (Sleep Unil Noon day....I only made it until Nine, beautiful VT was calling),
-munching on blueberries,
-playing nine holes of golf (yes, me! A is actually pretty good at the game of golf, Jake was captian of the Colby golf team, I wasn't too far behing Uncle Pete...ha!),
-BLTs for lunch at 3pm and more corn on the cob (YUM!),
-good byes (sad),
-driving back to Beantown with Jake and Hi'i. It was great to have their company.

Vermont is the most relaxing state I've ever been to. There's just something about the air in VT that lowers my shoulders and relaxes me. I heart VT and our family based there. We'll be back.

Summer is here!

Made it to Trenton!

This is a pic from Penn Station, NYC. I saw some great views of the NYC skyline but didn't capture them photographically. Thus, you get this proof that I actually passed through NYC. Can you see the sign with an arrow pointing to New Jersey?

I arrived in Trenton, my Pops old stomping grounds. He was right, it's not as exciting as Burlington VT. But we'll see how I feel after a couple days of the NJ life. An Italian restaurant called Seventh Heaven in Italian was good to us tonight. They complimented us some bruschetta appetizers and some butternut squash / corn croquettes and cooked green beans and carrots for sides. I think the free stuff came because we didn't order any appetizers or sides, just our entrees. All of it was delish!

As I lay down to sleep I'm wondering if it was so wrong of me to take a hot bath because the A/C in my room made me cold. Not very environmental of me, but it sure felt great and was a good calming way to end a busy day.

Good night almost full moon.

Water!

That's the bridge in the background. Still somewhere in CT.

Crossing a big bridge.

This is from the Amtrak train window somewhere in CT. I'm heading all the way to Trenton, NJ. So far the ride has been beautiful. I've seen many many sail boats. Smart me purposefully picked the side with the coastal view.

Who's Next?

Mr. Green?  Mr. White?  Mr. Red?

Would you like to be squished first?

 

 

C-bart's Scrumptious Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Salad

Initial Ingredients
2 Rotisserie Chickens from Costco (what a deal! and so yummy!)
2 large red bell peppers sliced and "roasted" or grilled with a bit of olive oil
scallions
celery
fresh basil from Mr. Basil (he lives on the front porch in a pot)

Chop all of the above and mix together in large bowl. (pulling the chickens off the bones is the most labor intensive part of this exercise. Try not to eat too much chicken while working. If you're like me and you pull the chicken when it's still warm, it's "one bite for me, one chunk to be chopped, one bite for me, one chunk to be chopped...")

Final Ingredients
Add in mayonnaise to moisten
Add ground pepper for flavor
Mix together and let chill in the refridgerator
Add sliced almonds just before serving

Voila!


We ate the chicken salad with a little dijon mustart, sliced tomato, and lettuce in pita bread and roll-up wraps (also purchased from costco) and it was scrumptious!

Smore Cupcakes!

Voila!

Complete with chocolate filling and graham cracker crust. Happy Birthday A!

Marshmallow Frosting

Does this look professional or what?

A beautiful day in Burlington, VT

Rainy morning

I don't like waking up to the pitter patter of pouring rain. It makes me want to roll over and go back to sleep.

Rainy July

I love listening to the pitter patter of the rain when I lay down to sleep. It's calming and soothing. Good Night.

"How To" of the day

Wikipedia provides a daily "How To" highlight that I haven't been paying much attention to lately. I happened to notice it on my iGoogle page today.

This one, everyone needs to know "How To" make:

How to Make Smore Cupcakes

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Smores don't have to be created on an open fire and enjoyed between graham crackers. This unique and delicious recipe will create yummy smore cupcakes.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
  
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
  
• 2/3 cup milk
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

• 150 grams semi-sweet chocolate, cut into pieces
  
• 1/2 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 3 tablespoons milk
  

Marshmallow Frosting

• 1/3 cup cold water
  
• 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar (you can just use 1 cup if you wish)
  
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/3 cup water
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
  

Steps

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1. Create a double boiler.
   
2. Add the butter, vanilla, and chocolate pieces in the top boiler. Mix all ingredients together until fully combined.
   
3. Allow to cool and use when ready.
   

Cupcakes

1. Combine the cup of graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup melted butter. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into each cupcake paper. Press down to cover the bottom of the lining. Set them on the side.
   
2. Beat the 1/2 cup of butter on high speed until soft or for about 30 seconds. Add in the brown sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy for about 3 minutes.
   
3. Add eggs one at a time. Beat for 30 seconds after each. Set aside.
   
4. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
   
5. Measure out the milk and vanilla in a separate bowl.
   
6. Add the flour and milk mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat to combine.
   
7. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter; about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
   
8. Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
   
9. Remove the cupcakes and let it cool down for 20 to 30 minutes.
   
10. Use a knife and cut a hole into the cupcakes. Fill each hole with chocolate fudge frosting. You can put the top back on to prevent the marshmallow frosting from seeping in.
    
11. Top each filled cupcake with marshmallow frosting with a greased spatula.
    
12. Decorate with chocolate drizzles and graham cracker crumbs.
    

Marshmallow Frosting

1. Pour the 1/3 cup of cold water into a bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle the gelatin and let the mixture soften for 5 minutes.
   
2. Place the sugar, salt, corn syrup, and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Remove the lid and swirl the contents until the syrup reaches 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
   
3. Whisk the gelatin mixture on a low speed and slowly pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl. Running down the side avoids splattering.
   
4. Gradually raise the speed to high and beat the mixture until it's thick, white, and almost tripled in volume. This may take up to 12 minutes to achieve.
   
5. Add the vanilla and beat for 30 seconds to combine.
   
6. Use the marshmallow frosting right after beating.
   

Tips

1. You can also heat a little bit of milk in a saucepan and then melt marshmallows in the hot milk, stirring frequently, to make marshmallow frosting.
   

Related wikiHows

• How to Make a Cupcake Cone
  
• How to Transfer Cupcake Batter from the Bowl
  
• How to Make Green Tea Cupcakes
  
• How to Make Nutella Frosted Cupcakes
  

Sources and Citations

• Original source of article, shared by Anjelikuh, Smore Cupcakes. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 license.
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Smore Cupcakes. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

TCHO

I could really use a TCHOspresso right now.

I think Pops would buy into this health plan: TCHO-A-DAY.

Alas, today, as with most days at this time, Swiss Miss hits the spot.

Dreamy napping spot

Near the Edgartown lighthouse. I swear it was just 3 o clock!

A and I are enjoying the Vineyard life this weekend!

Gummi O's

My favorite snacks of the week have been Gummi Bears (picked up at the movie theater and saved for later) and Trader Joe's O's (a lot like the Cheery kind, but different).

Have you ever really squished a Gummi Bear? I know we all squish them and pop them in our mouth, but have you looked at the squished Gummi Bear? It's so cute! When you squish the head down and the feet out, the tummy pops out. The Gummi Bears I bought had little paw prints imprinted on their feet. Adorable! I squished the ears down and it looked like a puppy dog. Cute little bear. The red ones are the cutest. I actually sat at my desk admiring different squished Gummi Bear positions. I took some pics with Pearl, but she couldn't focus well enough to produce a bloggable image. Just get some Gummi Bears and watch what happens when you squish them. You'll enjoy it. Try bouncing your fingers while squishing them...the bear becomes animated. Gummi Bears, a simply basic, excellent treat.

I've been snacking like a 2 year old on Trader Joe's O's this week. Today, my O's kept falling on the floor. I accidentally stepped on one leaving a squashed crumbly mess. Sam was worried the others who fell to the floor would be terrified by seeing the squashed mess. I agree. If you were an O, and you've taken a terrifying 3 foot fall to land by dust which was an O, wouldn't you be scared? I cleaned them all up, as best I could. Hopefully next week's O's won't be scared.

Drilled and Thrilled

A described his day on Wednesday as "Drilled and Thrilled". He started the day by having cavities filled at the dentist (drilled) and we ended the day by seeing Harry Potter 6 at the movie theater (thrilled!).

The latest Harry Potter flick is most excellent! My gripe with #5, which A and I saw on the night we were officially engaged, was that it went too fast. Each scene was action packed. I didn't have time to appreciate the characters or the significance of the scenes because the movie was so busy. #6 was much easier to appreciate. The teen relationships potrayed in the movie and the acting is scrumptiously entertaining. For a book considered gloomy by many people, the movie had the theater laughing most of the time. It was great! Go see it! I wish I lived in a magical world.

Scrumptious Crafts

Our pals Sam and Kristen are super crafty. I can now officially vouch for it since I've seen Sam's loft filled with the entire stock of a Michael's store. Well, they have sooo much fun with their crafts and are sooo incredibly good at everything crafty, they've gone into business. Check out
We are Kindred Spirits. They are just getting going, but if you need a new handbag, necklace, cabinet decorations, anything, they can do it!

I am experiencing symptoms of excessive Wii-ing. This includes soreness of all arm and back muscles used in throwing right hooks and left upper cuts.

We had a great time at S and J's Saturday night!

Tall Ships

The tall ships are in Boston this weekend from all around the world! The last time they were here was 2000.

A and I are about to climb aboard the Picton Castle.

Scrumptious Gardening

our tomato plants have tiny little starts of tomatoes!

the impatiens are flowering beautifully!

Mr. Basil is abundantly flavoring our meals!

Illy has a fuzz problem. I don't know what to do, but the flower part is all fuzzy and gross. I think an alien might emerge one day. It just needs a few more days to incubate.

Quacktabulous!

Last weekend, A and I flew to sunny California to celebrate Mom's birthday. Coincidentally, it was also the nation's birthday. We enjoyed a wonderful day in San Francisco:

• Dim Sum (yum!)


• a walk along the water from Pier 1 past Pier 39 to Fisherman's Wharf


• a tour on SF's Bay Quackers Peking Duck vehicle which included a ride in the bay with great views of AT&T Park during a Giants game and a lot of quacking (Quack Quack!)


• Kara's cupcakes and Ghirardelli ice cream sundaes (great combo!)


• chowder in a bread bowl


• strolling down Pier 39


• In N Out burgers


• a dual show of fireworks!!!


• more cupcakes

We couldn't have asked for better weather. We all had a great time with lots of laughs (and good eats). Photography credits for the below picture from Pier 39 go to my Sister. Thanks for strolling with me!

Boston Public Garden

most fun work outfits

We talked about the most un-fun jobs....

The other day I was walking behind someone in scrubs and thought. That would be a great outfit to wear to work everyday. comfy (maybe a little cold in some buildings), no thought involved in terms of style, just put it on and go.

I tried to think of something that would top this: a baseball uniform? yellow rain jacket and rain pants? the UPS brown outfit? hot dog on a stick colorful hat?

Nothing could beat it. I would most love to wear scrubs everyday (for work) and save my "stylish" clothes for evenings and weekends...

scrumptious updates

• As I've gotten to know Illy a little better over the last few days, I've learned a few things about her. She is a GREAT listener. She doesn't drink water very fast. She thinks Armando is hilarious. (He's the bamboo plant she lives next to). It's great to have Illy around.
• I just finished reading the book My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. What an adventure! I recommend this book highly. If you're an emotional person, or pregnant, make sure you have a box of tissues handy for the read.
• Jake stopped by and stayed at the Bartshire B & B during his Bike and Boat tour to Maine. It was a Bonanza! We hope he makes it to Maine and has a great 4th. We had a great time visiting with him last night. It was a great reason to try the Afghan restaurant we'd been meaning to get to. Well, the culinary arts school wasn't open for dinner, and the thai place is closed for the week, so all signs lead to the Afghan restaurant. We really have been meaning to try it, we just have a hard time passing up the scrumptious thai food next door. (I didn't even purposefully use the word Scrumptious there...it came naturally) The Afghan food was delicious. I had trout with eggplant and rice flavored with walnuts and dates. We shared an appetizer of pumpkin that tasted like candy!
• The Red Sox had a very troubling game last night. Sometimes watching that team can be stressful. I'll say this: They keep it interesting for their fans! (Red Sox lead the game against the Orioles with 9 to 1 in the middle of the 5th...After an hour and a half rain delay...in the seventh inning the Orioles powered through our entire bull pen! They scored two on Papelbon in the 8th to bring the score to 10 (red sox) to 11 (orioles). We couldn't recover in the top of the ninth. So tough!

Welcome to the family Illy!

Meet Illy. She is a bromeliad. We picked her up at Trader Joe's. She lives in the kitchen. Her tag says it is ok to discard her when she stops flowering because "they'll grow more". Sadly, that is probably a good thing for us. We'll do our best to take care of Illy, just don't judge us based on our previous plant track record, please. We love you, Illy. Welcome to the family.

Scrumptious Memories

Today is the 4th anniversary of the day A and I became a "couple". Naturally, this leads me down a path of memories from the days we first met. I remember the day I first met A. I was told he was in charge of the company softball team and that they were always looking for people to play. I sent A an email with my interest and within an hour he appeared over my cubicle wall with a big smile. The organizer of the team, he was happy to meet the newbie and welcome me. Remembering that moment and our softball adventures makes me smile about where it all led. Definitely, a happily ever after kind of story.

Another scrumptious memory floated to the front of my mind today in response to my improved flossing efforts of late. I have a dentist appointment coming up. This means I have begun flossing religiously to prepare. I don't think the dentist is ever fooled, but I am usually better about flossing the month before my appointment.

I remember one morning before kindergarten, my dad took me to the dentist. I don't remember anything about that particular dentist appointment, except that Dr. Mednick always had fun toys and a receptionist with my name! What I remember is the surprise Dad had for me in the car on the way to kindergarten after the dentist appointment. He gave me a little ziploc bag with two cookies in it. With my dad, we were always allowed two cookies for dessert (if we ate our dinner). I remember Dad looking at me with a smile, "I brought you a treat for being good". I remember thinking about my shiny clean teeth and how the cookies were going to make them not so clean. That didn't stop me though. I dived right in. I was five. I remember arriving late to kindergarten. One of the teachers welcomed me in and asked to see my shiny clean teeth. I flashed her a big grin filled with cookie. I remember the look on her face, and I'm not sure if she believed my explanation, but Dad and I know I was really at the dentist that morning.

Scrumptious memories...

Summer in Boston

Saving Energy

Read about Blackle .

The idea is that it not only saves energy, but acts as a reminder to make at least small efforts to save energy.

Of course, spending my evenings blogging and watching TV seems a little energy excessive, but at least the kitchen lights are turned off! I'm going to turn off the computer and turn on the kitchen lights to do the dishes. Then, I'll turn off the kitchen lights and turn on the bedroom light to read before turning off the bedroom light to dream.

Are you conserving?

Hot chocolate at 3 PM is every girl's dream. OK, really cupcakes are, but I'm settling for cocoa today. Yum.

un-fun jobs

One job I certainly don't want is to be the printer fixer guy. Think about how frustrating every day would be. Wake up, go to a random office, trouble shoot printer issues, kick the printer, tell everyone it's fixed, go to the next office of the day, repeat. Yuck.

Very Important Business

The most important thing today is to post this shout-out to my Pops. Pops, you know I love you and that you're the greatest dad any girl could wish for. Thanks for being mine. Here's your shout-out.

Happy Father's Day, Pops!

That was loud wasn't it? There are a few more father-type people I'd like to mention today.

• Mr. T - Thanks for being in my family's life, a great dad to my best pal, AND congrats on being a grandfather this year!
• Dick - You're a wonderful support to my husband (and me). Thanks for everything.
• Hobart - My new father - in - law, thanks for all the love you give us.

Lastly, I'd like to wish a happy father's day to my friends who are dads. You know who you are .... I hope your kids are treating you well. Happy Father's Day!

More Very Important Business

A and I have been taking care of some very important things this weekend. Here's our list of accomplishments in no particular order of importance (they are all important!):

1. 1. We saw the movie UP. I loved it! It's a must see in the theaters (3D).
2. 2. I finished the book Breaking Dawn, the last of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Great books. Great ending. I had such fun reading them.
3. 3. We spent some significant time catching up on our TiVo recordings and setting up new season passes. It's good to have your TV organized, right?
4. 4. We returned a large bag of potting soil (dirt) to Home Depot. When we set up our potted garden on the porch a few weeks ago we thought our pots would take more dirt than was necessary so we were left with a rather large bag of dirt. We've been reimbursed the $14 and hopefully someone else will use it to grow wonderful things.
5. 5. We walked (I did a little jogging) around Fresh Pond in Cambridge. This was a great excercise. The pond seemed a lot bigger than it really was. It took us an hour to speed walk around it. At one point my forehead was covered in little tiny bugs. A wiped them off for me. What a guy! It was overcast and humid and the little bugs were swarming all along the trails. There were also a lot of dogs. Luckily they were all well behaved and no one pounced on me. One dog named Schnitzel obeyed his owner when she told him not to go in the puddles. We didn't feel very welcome by the City of Cambridge since most of the parking was reserved for City residents and it was difficult to find parking that we could use...but the trails around Fresh Pond are beautiful and woodsy. I'll go back despite the unwelcome-ness, the dogs, and the bugs. It really is a great recreational resource.
6. 6. We cheered on the Red Sox. Hoooray for Beckkkkkkett's shut out on Saturday night and Thank you to Nick Greene for a walk-off home run this afternoon. It turns out the Atlanta Braves are a pretty good match up for the Sox this year. It was a fairly close series. The Sox travel to Atlanta in a week or so for another three game series with them.
7. 7. We ventured to Costco for some edible provisions and picked up a copy of My Sister's Keeper. A and I have joined Sam's bookclub on Goodreads and this is our first assignment. Feel free to join us!
8. 8. Two loads of laundry: washed and folded!
9. 9. Given all the productivity of accomplishments 1 - 8 you might not think it, but we slept in and enjoyed lots of relaxing pajama time this weekend.

All in all, I have had one fabulous weekend and feel refreshed and ready for a new week.

Happy Summer! It doesn't look like it here (overcast, rainy, and humid) but it has officially begun.

Welcome to Scrumptious Explorations

Thank you for joining me here in my new home! I moved from Wingnut's World for one reason. I've got too many gmail accounts and Wingnut's World was associated with an old one. Scrumptious Explorations is associated with a current gmail account and lets me link to the picasa web pictures. How fun is that? Check out the slideshow on the sidebar. Seriously. Click on it. I love it!

(note: the asia pics are not all up yet...it's a work in progress)

Basically, as long as I was moving the home of my web log, I took the opportunity to give it a face lift and a new name. Scrumptious is usually used to describe edible items, but I like to think that some of the stories and thoughts I share are so compelling that you'll find them scrumptious to read!

enjoy.

a little bit of housecleaning, archival items

I grabbed these from our pbwiki site which we aren't really using anymore. I don't foresee having a continued use for it. It was fun to experiment with, but for my postings, I think Blogger is the way to go. Here are some oldies that didn't make it into Blogger:

February 22, 2009
WOW. It's February already! I've been so absorbed in my new Blackberry portable email and connection to the world device that I haven't spent much time in front of the big computer checkin on things. A and I are now addicted to Facebook and are having fun tracking old friends and trying not to get sucked into the little games that FB provides. The holidays were great. We had our first christmas as "Man and Wife" in Boston, just the two of us. It was a WHITE christmas which made two California kids very happy. We went for a walk in the snow and it felt like we had gone to the mountains for Christmas, but in fact we were right here. The weekend following Christmas Day we met up with The Cousins in NYC to celebrate Emeline's 2nd birthday and meet Tucker. It showed us how easy it is to get to the city for a weekend, especially when Jake and Hi'i are so willing to let us crash at their pad. We're going again this coming weekend and meeting up with Mike and Nate who are doing a weekend trip from CA to see the Rangers play at Madison Square Garden.

Other news since Christmas, we officially have a new president in office now!! HOOORAY!! January flew by, I think we were still in hunkering down during Winter mode. A and I have been enjoying big breakfasts (french toast, waffles, etc) on the weekends and catching up with our friends TiVo and Netflix. It's amazing how the time flies! We also try to get out during the middle of the day for a walk. During the week work keeps us pretty busy. We've been good about hitting the gym three times a week and are bonding with our yoga instructors and the yoga poses. We're making new friends with some of A's co-workers and they are introducing us to fun games like Apples to Apples!

Our trip to China / Japan is all planned. We are ready to go!

December 21, 2008 Winter Solstice
This winter has brought us many adventures already! Thanksgiving was full of family fun down in Washington D.C. followed by a super 31st birthday for Corinne. Adrian spoiled her with presents, a fancy sushi dinner and a decadent chocolate dessert platter at Finale. We visited Kitty and Bobby in Boothbay Harbor, ME and enjoyed the small coastal town christmas festivities of a lighted boat parade, ginger bread house contest, and walked along the scenic coast while exploring the new Botanical Garden. Since then, our adventures have been more local. We have enjoyed a few "pajama days" relaxing at home while decorating the christmas tree and wrapping presents. This past week we went to the Boston Pops Holiday Show and the Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs game. Both were tons of fun (in very different ways, of course). Adrian was given a big raise this week! Happy Holidays at the Bartshire house! The country wide snow storm that began in LA and Vegas reached us on Friday. It started snowing around 1:30pm on Friday and hasn't stopped yet (Sunday evening 4:30pm). Corinne has made many snow angels and we've done plenty of shoveling. It's a blast to walk around in the winter wonderland. Thanks Koolaid for hosting a snow day Pancake Palooza! Corinne's favorite discovery was finding out that mini marshmallows leave a hole in the pancake perfect for filling with syrup or berry sauce. YUM! Pics of our Winter Activities are on our picasa website.

November 8, 2008
YIPPPEEEE for our NEW PRESIDENT!!!!! Election day was quite exciting. Our quiet polling place had a line!

Last weekend held many fun fall activities. We started off with chores at Al's house. OK, I lounged with a novel and Adrian moved a lot of heavy stuff in the garage. Then we meandered (well bee-lined) up to Greensboro VT to hang with Jack and Colton. They taught us how to play Wii and Corinne's arms were sore from "boxing" for the next week! They also took us on a hike up their local hill (pics on the picasa website). VT already had many inches of snow, so fall views are mainly gone. It's still beautiful in the city. Leaves are covering the ground, but there are still many bright colored trees throughout the city.

This weekend is being used to catch up on chores around our house, and Adrian is helping out with some at Al's house too. Corinne took a trip to the local library. We love the library, but for some reason, life's just been too busy to make it there. We've been enjoying our renewed relationship with the gym as well. Yoga!

October 31 to November 2, 2008
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Our pumpkins are lit on the porch and looking fabulous! We are jetting off to Longmeadow and VT for the weekend. We won't be home for trick-or-treaters but last year we got all of 0, so we aren't feeling too bad about this.

Corinne's work has brought her a night in Stamford CT, a night in Fairfax VA, and a night in Waterbury VT over the last three weeks. She's always on the go! She's also got a renewed relationship with the gym. She is experimenting with spinning classes and getting back into yoga after several months of non attendance.

October 25 & 26, 2008
We carved pumpkins! Thank you to Kate, Addy, Janice, Cynthia, and Kenny for joining us in the fun! Sunday was filled with a spectacular pancake and bacon breakfast. Thanks to Liz and Justin for joining in or indulgence. A and C strolled the Fall Festival at Harvard's Arnold Arboretum. The foliage was spectacular and the weather couldn't have been nicer. It was sunny and 60 degrees! (see pics on our picasa website)

October 18, 2008 - Harvard Football & The Head of the Charles
Today is our four-week-iversary. It's also our first Saturday at home since the action packed wedding fun. We enjoyed a morning of sleeping in and wandered out into the sunny autumn weather for a Saturday afternoon adventure. First stop, breakfast! (of course). With full bellies we adventured onto the 66 bus to Harvard. It was the most crowded bus I'd ever been on! Note: I don't take the bus daily, just the train. The bus pulled up next to Harvard Stadium and we saw indications that a football game was going on. Being the adventurous selves that we are, we hopped off the bus and scouted out the scene.

The next thing you know, we're inside Harvard Stadium rooting for the Crimson & White. I was entertained by the band and cheerleaders, while Adrian scouted the best players on the team. Every time Harvard scored, the cheerleaders went behind the end zone, lined up, and did as many push ups as Harvard had for a total score. Thank goodness we didn't do this at Wilcox!

We left near the end of the 3rd quarter (Harvard was winning) to check out the Head of the Charles. It is quite the "to do" here in Beantown. We strolled the booths and gathered all the freebies we could find then walked along the river and watched the boats go by. I'd say the highlight was having my picture taken with two people sized Blackberry cell phones!