Reno, September 2012

I decided to come along with Doug on a conference he had in Reno, Nevada.  We flew in on Saturday,  September 8^th for 3 nights.  The conference was at the Grand Sierra Resort which is about 2 miles from the downtown strip.  It is a large resort which includes a bowling alley, a movie theatre, go karts, and a great pool area called “The Beach”. 

We arrived early morning so we decided to take a walk to the downtown strip.  The weather was beautiful and it was a nice walk however it was about 80 when we got there.  We went to Cal Neva for a late breakfast then walked around the area. Neither one of us had been for a few years and were  sad to see that the economy has taken its toll.  Fitzgerald’s has closed down as well as a lot of the smaller casinos and hotels.  The Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus are the main casino/hotels on the strip.

While we were downtown there was a motorcycle rally.  We were waiting to cross the street but were stopped by over 1000 bikers.  Later we found out they were participating in “Never Forget 9/11 Memorial Ride”.  They were passing through on their way to Sparks. 

Since it had warmed up we took a taxi back to the Grand Sierra to check in.  Our room was nice and once we checked in I made my way to the pool area.   They didn’t have any umbrellas and there was no shade unless you rented a cabana.  I was not able to stay too long in the sun.  Later I found that I could rent an umbrella at the beach store next to the pool entrance which I did the next day.

That evening we went to the hotel buffet for dinner with some of the other conference attendees.  Since Doug was busy with the conference on Sunday afternoon through Tuesday I spent my time reading, relaxing and just enjoying the down time.

We flew home on Tuesday afternoon, a little more rested and a little less money since we gambled a bit.  Quick trip, but it was fun.

Palm Springs, June 2012

We had never been to Palm Springs so when Doug had the opportunity to go for business I jumped at the chance to tag along.
We flew to Palm Springs on Saturday June 9^th, arriving at about 3pm.  Since we were not actually staying in Palm Springs we headed over to our hotel which was the Hampton Inn in Banning.  For the first night we were staying there.   The next two nights we would be staying at the Morongo Resort in Cabazon, where the conference was going to be.   Cabazon is about 17 miles from Palm Springs.

Once we got to our hotel, got checked in and settled we headed out to find something to eat.  I used my phone to find suggestions for local eateries and settled on Thai food.  The place was not memorable, even though rated high.  Maybe the small town was why.  The food was good when we finally got it.  The service turned out to be very slow.

Since Doug didn’t have a lot of time that was not conference time, we decided to do a little sightseeing.  We decided to go on the Aerial Tram.  Riding the gondola through Chino Canyon to the top of the ridge was a great experience with awesome views.  The gondola is designed to turn slowly as we climb the mountain to give 360 views to everyone on the ride up.  Once we reached the top there were several observation points, a lodge, restaurant etc.  We spent about an hour checking it all out before we headed back down.  The sun was setting while we were there so we got some beautiful sky pictures. 

After we left the tram we drove into Palm Springs.  The main street was very busy with tourists so we walked around a little then decided to head back to our hotel area to eat dinner.    It was nearly 10 pm when we stopped by Ruby’s for dinner.

Sunday morning we at breakfast at the hotel and took our time checking out. We couldn’t check in at the other resort until 3 anyway so there was no rush.  I went to the pool while Doug worked for a while.  Of course it was not heated!  What’s with that?  Although the weather was in the 80s early in the morning, it still would have been nice to have a pool that had a least some warm water.  There was a hot tub which helped.   Around 1pm or so we headed over to Cabazon to the Morongo Resort and Casino.

Doug had to check in for the conference around 3pm and get his booth ready for the early morning meetings so he went to do that while I checked out the pool.  The weather was extremely hot (110) and the pool did not have a lot of shade.  That evening we ate dinner at the buffet at the casino and played a little in the casino. (Lost, what’s new?)

In the morning Doug headed to his conference and I went over to the Cabazan Outlet stores which were less than a mile from the hotel.  It was too hot to walk so I drove over.  I spent some time checking out the stores, several designer stores, but I ended up empty handed when I left.  It’s a really nice mall and I wouldn’t mind going back sometime.

Once I got back to the casino I decided to go down to the pool area with my book.  I was able to find room in a shaded area for a few hours.  Around 5pm several other sponsors for the conference met down at the pool bar for drinks, before heading to dinner.  Although the weather was hot it got windy by the pool.   After a while we headed back into the hotel and ate dinner there again, rather than leaving.

Tuesday Doug went back to his meeting and I requested a late check out.  The pool opened at 8am so I went down and found some shade by the Lazy River and spent the rest of the morning enjoying that.   It was so relaxing both in the Lazy River, and just resting on a lounge chair and reading.  The shade was nice as again it was approaching 110.

I checked out around noon, got our things to the car and waited in the area for Doug to finish up.  We were planning to leave about 2pm to head to the airport.  We wanted to drive through Palm Springs since we hadn’t spent much time there originally.   We stopped in town and walked around for a little while before we had to leave.  There is a new statue of MarilynMonroe in her famous pose with her dress flying up. Of course Doug wanted his picture with her… J

Our trip was short and sweet.  Really didn’t get much time to enjoy the city.  I would like to come back in the early spring or fall when it’s not so hot to really enjoy it.

May 2012 - Sister's Trip - White Bear Lake, Minnesota to Door County, Wisconsin

Time for another Sister’s Trip. I can always fit that in my schedule! I miss my sisters and even though Carol lives in the area, even we have a hard time getting together, due to work schedules and other commitments. And with Ruth in Minnesota it’s a real treat when the three of us can get together.

To save a little money the three of us decided that Carol and I would fly to Minnesota to see Ruth. Then if we wanted to take a couple days we could go on a little road trip to spend some “sister” time. Once we came to that decision Carol and I got our plane tickets (using points this time). Ruth suggested we go to Door County, Wisconsin so she was tasked with finding a place to stay.

Carol and I met at the airport about 5:40 am on Wednesday, May 9th. Plenty of time to get checked in, get coffee and head to our gate for our 7:15 am flight. Soon we were on our way. It was an uneventful flight and gave us time to catch up on each other’s lives. Where does the time go? I don’t think I had seen Carol since the fall, which was the last time I had seen Ruth also.

Ruth picked us up about 12:30 pm and we headed over to visit Alyssa and their new baby, stopping first to get a bite to eat for lunch. Alyssa and Trent live in Woodbury, which is on the way to Ruth’s house from the airport. We got to meet Eli who is just about 3 months old. They are working hard to get him on a regular schedule but the little guy doesn’t want to sleep more than 20 minutes at a time. Alyssa is learning what it is like to be a new mommy. Eli is a cutie and doesn’t seem to be a fussy baby. We visited for a while, and then left to go to Ruth’s, planning with Alyssa to see her Saturday afternoon at Justin and Kristen’s house.

We got to Ruth’s house and got settled then started getting things ready for a taco dinner. Justin, Kristen and the boys Gavin (3) and Declan (1) came for dinner. It was do fun to watch Gavin come with his happy-go-lucky attitude. Declan was more cautious meeting new people but Gavin jumped right in there. He loves to pose for pictures and show us all the things he is learning. He talks clearly and loves to sing. We had a lot of fun playing with the kids, and catching up with Kristen and Justin.


After a good night’s sleep we got up early to head on our road trip. Stopped for coffee at Starbucks (where else?) then we were on our way. Door County was calling us! Door County is about 6 hours from White Bear Lake. We planned to spend our car time catching up on things and singing songs. We actually brought two hymnals and spent a good bit of time singing and reminiscing. Remember how Mom loved this song? Remember singing this with Nana? Wow, what memories. Our hubbies had teased us before we left when we told them the plan…. definitely did not want to be in the car with us during this trip!

Our drive took us into Green Bay, Wisconsin about lunch time. We used our phones to find a restaurant for lunch and settled on the Titletown Brewery which had good reviews. It was in an old Train Station and lived up to the reviews. We shared a couple different salads and some flatbread. Presentation was nice and both the food and the service were good. The parking lot had a Green Bay Packers statue. Since we were within a mile or two of Limbaugh Field we drove over there and took a few pictures.  Then we were back on the road again.

Door County is on a Peninsula on Lake Michigan. It is a spring and summer destination place with lots of little villages close together. There are cherry orchards throughout the county, and restaurants, boutiques, wineries, light houses and country stores. We were just ahead of the season so not everything was open yet, but on the flip side we also were not fighting the traffic to get onto the peninsula, which I understand can happen during high season.

We were staying in Ephraim which is about ½ way up the 26 mile peninsula on the west side, which is the Green Bay side. We had booked a cottage at the Lodgings at Pioneer Lane. Our place was a charming cottage that had 2 sides, one of which could be locked off from the other. We chose to use both sides so we had two bedrooms, each with a king bed on opposite sides of a living/kitchen area. My “punishment“ for my snoring was to have a room to myself. Somehow, I got the best of that deal!

We got our things settled then decided to explore the town. We spent some time looking at the computer first to find a place to eat dinner. As we drove around we saw that some things were not open for the season yet, but there still were plenty options. We drove down to Fish Creek which was one village over and ate dinner at the Wild Tomato, a wood fire pizza restaurant. There were quite a few people there but we were able to find a place to sit in the bar area without having to wait. They had more than just pizza so we each had burgers that were very good.

Afterward we stopped at Not Licked Yet, a great place for frozen custard. We each had a small cone. The setting was along Fish Creek and was like a park with a playground for the kids, and several chairs along the creek. After dinner and dessert we decided to turn in and rest up for the morning. We were all tired from our full day of driving and then full from dinner and dessert.

In the morning we got up and each of us wanted coffee so we headed to Julie’s Park Motel and Cafe in Fish Creek to get coffee and a bagel or something light before we started to explore the rest of the peninsula. Once we got to Julie’s we decided to stay and eat breakfast after all. We brought in a few maps and brochures and mapped out our plan for the day as we were eating breakfast. Breakfast was good, with great service so soon we were on our way.

We started out by going to Peninsula State Park which was between Ephraim and Fish Creek. We paid for an hour pass which gave us time to stop at a view of the view points and walk around. The Park is on the west side of the Peninsula and has great views of Green Bay and several small islands. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the natural beauty of the park. After we left the Park we looked around several of the little shops in the area then drove south to Egg Harbor and looked around some of the shops there before we drove over to Bailey’s Harbour which is on the other side of the Peninsula. Our understanding was there was a much photographed lighthouse that we wanted to see. After driving for quite a while down a 2 lane road we came to a dead end where you needed to walk out to even get a glimpse of the lighthouse. Since we wanted to explore more to the Peninsula we decided not to go out to it.

There really wasn’t much else to see there so we instead drove to the top of the peninsula to Northport where there is a ferry that goes over to Washington Island. The passage is commonly known as Death’s Door. If we had more time it would have been a fun trip with lots of things to check out on the Island. That will have to wait for another day.

On the road again we headed south to stop in Sister’s Bay for lunch. We found Sister Bay Bakery where we were able to buy boxed lunches, and then took them to Waterfront Park which is in the center of town along the bay. After lunch we stopped at a few of the shops. We also drove by Al Johnson’s restaurant which is a known for its grass roof with goats on it. Unfortunately, there were no goats as they were not quite open for the season.

We continued our exploring and stopped at the Stone’s Throw Winery for a few minutes, then went to Wood Orchard market and the Cherry Hut market. We each bought some dried cherries to bring home and I bought some a jar of Cherry Salsa. The peninsula is known for its cherry orchards and all of the trees had recently started blooming so there was an abundance of pink flowering trees. After a little more boutique shopping we got back to our place about 5pm.  We had dinner plans to go to a Fish Boil. Although Ruth and Carol had both been, it was a new experience for me. We had reservations for 7pm at the White Gull Inn in Fish Creek.

Fish Boils are a tradition in the area, and everyone agrees you must go to one at least once. It is similar to going to a Mexican Fiesta in Mexico, or a Hawaiian Luau. Everyone gathers around a bonfire that has a kettle of salted water boiling. Potatoes are added and at the right time thick chunks or fresh white fish steaks are added. As the temperature rises and salt is added, the oils from the fish rise to the top of the kettle. Then, kerosene is thrown on the fire, the kettle boils over and the kettle is removed from the fire. Then everyone moves into the restaurant and are served the potatoes and fish buffet style. On the table is bread and coleslaw. Staff is there to assist and show how to easily remove the tiny bones from the fish. For dessert we were served cherry pie with ice cream. We all enjoyed the experience, and the food was good.

Once we got back to our place we decided to watch the movie Love Actually. I had not seen it but they both recommended it and didn’t mind watching it again. I think all of us were falling asleep though by the time it was over. Long day, good company and good food had done us in.

In the morning we got packed and tried to get on the road by 9.00 or so. We stopped at the pier in Ephram to see the boardhouse with all the graffiti. We had heard that Good Eggs was a great place for breakfast so we stopped there on our way out of town. It is a small little place that only provides breakfast burritos – basically omelets wrapped in burrito. The tables are made out of surfboards and the atmosphere was light and fun. Breakfast was great.

Our drive to White Bear Lake took us a little longer than planned but we got to Ruth’s about 4:30. All of the family was getting together over at Justin and Kristen’s to celebrate Gavin’s 3rd birthday and Declan’s first. Since we were leaving the next day it was our opportunity to see Amy and Jimmy and the kids as well as Kristin and Justin and Alyssa and Trent and baby Eli.

The weather was beautiful and when we got to Kristen and Justin’s all the kids were there and playing outside. Kristen’s parents were there too to celebrate with the family. Jonah came running up to me and gave me a big hug. He reminded me about our trip to Colorado (see post) and how we went geocaching. He said he goes once in a while. Trent was there and asked what it was so we decided to use my phone to see what was around the area. We were able to find one within a mile of Kristen and Justin’s so we decided that we would take a walk after dinner and presents.

Kristen had arranged for a local restaurant to cater the food for the party so we had lasagna, french bread and a couple salads. Then she had a cake in the shape of a baseball for the boys, as well as ice cream. After that the kids gathered the presents together and Gavin opened both Declan’s and his own. Alyssa and Trent had gotten him a batman costume so that was a hit. He was so cute running around with that on. He is so personable. He has cute red hair and dimples and a twinkle in his eye. He talks very clear and evens sings in tune.

After the boys had opened their presents Carol and I took Larkin, Ryker and Jonah to find the geocache. They live in a newer development which has several little neighborhoods that have entrance signs. Our clue was “Behind the Glenn”. As we got closer to the area of the cache we saw the entrance sign that said “Glenn” so we headed for the back part of the sign. After a few minutes we were able to find it in a cleverly disguised container. There were a few little trinkets in the box that Jonah traded for some little things he brought. I signed the log then we headed back to the house.

After hugs goodbye, and promises to plan another reunion soon so we can get all the cousins together we headed back to Ruth’s house. Earl wanted to take us to a new Rooftop lounge that had opened up at the Best Western in downtown White Bear Lake. However, once we got there it was quite crowded so instead we went over to the Bear Town Café of which they are part owners. Ruth mentioned that she hadn’t even eaten over at Justin and Kristen’s so we ordered a few things to share as well as drinks.

The next day was Mother’s Day and Earl had set a beautiful table with flowers for us on the patio. It was sunny and warm and refreshing. He made waffles for us and served them with bacon and fruit. We invited him to join us which he was happy to do. Always the entertainer, he told us stories to keep us laughing. We spent a little time looking at pictures and just visiting before we had to go to the airport for our flight home.

When Carol and I checked in we noticed our seats were no longer together so we could not finish our trip together. We said goodbye once we got to Seatac and vowed to get together more often, and to start figuring out how to get together for a family reunion next year. Where should we go for our next Sister’s Trip? Tennessee? Branson? Sante Fe? Boston? We’ll have to start planning it soon.

February 2012, 2 Weeks in Paradise - Puerto Vallarta

This year we planned our annual trip Mexico to spend one week in “old town” Puerto Vallarta, and one week at our timeshare at the Puerto Vallarta Marina. This was the first time staying for the full 14 days in Puerto Vallarta . Our goal for this trip was to get rest and relaxation, read a few books, and just enjoy the beauty of the area that we both love so much.

We arrived in PV on Sunday February 5th.. After collecting our luggage we made our way to the Taxi stand and headed to Playa Los Arcos, which is right on the beach in the heart of old town Puerto Vallarta. We stayed the same place last year for several days and liked it enough to schedule this year before we left town.

The weather in PV was warm but threatening rain. Our first mission was to get settled in our room which was on the 3rd floor, with a balcony overlooking the pool area, and the entrance walkway overlooking the street. Our room had a king size bed, large TV, table and chairs, and a side chair. We didn’t have a fridge however we had ice available. There was a shower but no tub which was fine. We stayed in the same room last year and loved the location. I had forgotten how hard the mattress on the bed was. Next year we may have to see if we can get a room with a more comfortable mattress. Additionally, something to remember next year is that there are only a few 3 prong outlets in the room, and not very many 2 prong ones. Not near enough with the all the electronics these days. The front desk gave us one 3 prong extension but with both of our laptops, phones, Kindles, cameras, etc we needed to take turns charging things. Also, the proximity of the existing outlets made it difficult to use the outlet and the lamp by the side of the bed. So, note for next year: bring 3 prong adapters and a small extension cord. Additionally, although they don’t advertise WiFi in the room, only the lobby, it did work most of the time in the room (although a little slow).

After settling in I headed for the pool and Doug stayed in the room to work for awhile. The pool was warm and it felt good to swim. Something that is important to me and I look forward to on any vacation we take.

That evening we had dinner at Burro’s Bar which is on the beach. We have been there many times and the food is good. We were a little surprised at the prices this year. The peso value is down so merchants have raised prices to make up the difference. Our total meal was over 470 peso’s which was close to $35 in USD. Although not a lot, for a bar on the beach we thought it was a little high. We both had Mexican plates – nothing fancy.

That evening there was a beautiful sunset. There were clouds in the sky but no rain. In the morning we took a walk, got breakfast at our all time favorite place for breakfast, Fredy Tucan’s. They have great food and although they are busy they get you in, make time for you but they are quick on service.

As I mentioned, our goal this trip was the rest and relaxation. We have been there several times and although it is always fun to go back, we had no agenda, no real plans, etc. Instead I spent most of the days by the pool, reading and swimming. We ate at some of our favorite restaurants including Archie’s Wok, Joe Jack’s Fish Shack, Langostino’s. We decided against any of the traditional tours or Fiesta’s. By Friday the weather had turned to rain although it was still warm. We took a walk every morning then came back and spent the afternoons at the hotel. Back out for dinner in the evening. Another place that we talked about going was Andale’s which is a fun bar across from our hotel. We have always gone there at least once during our stay. Didn’t make it this time. The weather put a damper on our mood, and I was starting to get a sore throat and respiratory problem about Thursday so I was more than happy to just hang out at the hotel or by the pool.

Saturday morning it was raining quite hard. We walked over to Paradise Community Center where they were having a “Saturday Market”. It was quite crowded with everyone coming in to get out of the rain. We didn’t end up buying anything although they had fresh bakery items, handmade artifacts, etc. They also have a couple permanent restaurants in the center that are open every day. We left there and stopped for coffee at the Coffee Cup. The weather was miserable, and our moods were not much better! Once we got back to the hotel I decided to go to the beach and sit and read under one of the umbrellas. The waves were big and fun to watch. After about an hour the hotel staff came and took down the umbrellas because it started to become windy. Time to head in!

Sunday we got up and packed our things to move to the Mayan Palace at the Marina. Has it really been a week already?? Although it wasn’t raining it was overcast and muggy. Typically we get to our hotel, check in and have to wait several hours for a room. We usually take a trip over to Walmart to pick up things for snacks and breakfast. This time we decided to walk over to the Marina as we waited about an hour for our room.

The Marina was not real busy and as we noticed last year there were several places that are no longer open and have not been replaced. Of course there were the time share guys always willing to rope you in. We have learned to just keep walking. I wasn’t feeling well, and the weather was muggy so we just walked over, took our time then walked back to the hotel. On our way back we stopped for pizza at Taco’s and Beer/Pizza and Beer which is across from our hotel. Once back, our room was ready so we headed up to it. We were on the 3rd floor and had a room with a slight view of the ocean.

I decided to head to the pool and I noticed right away that no one was in it, even though the weather was warm. Last year the pool was not heated because there was a part that was on order. Sounded a little fishy then and now once again it was not heated. As I mentioned earlier, I look forward to swimming at nearly every place we go so it was very disappointing. There are two pools that are not connected so how could both of them be “broken”? We heard different stories through the week why they were not working. We included it in our review at the end of the week also. It did solve the issue that we have had in the past of not being able to find a seat by the pool. Either there were not as many people at the resort while we were there, or fewer people were choosing to go to the pool area. I never had a problem getting a place to sit any time I went to the pool.

Again our week was very laid back. Doug started having an issue with his computer which was quite stressful. We were able to find someone in the PV area that could speak English and was able to get it fixed. So 24 hours or so without Doug’s computer put a damper on his mood, but once he got it back it was working good and only cost about $70 US to fix.

We tried a new restaurant at the Marina called Las Mariachiles which was very good. They are the first restaurant when you enter the gate, next to Victor’s . And of course we went to Victor’s which is an all time favorite. It is a standing tradition and a busy place. Victor makes a point to greet everyone personally and there are always free tequila shots on the house. Victor will stop at your table and drink a shot with you. As we were waiting in line we watched him down at least 8 shots with different customers. How does he remain standing at the end of the night? It’s a fun place, the food is good and the location is good.

This year there was something new – the south gate to the Marina which is the one that we enter closes at 9pm which means leaving at the other end of the Marina and having to walk quite a bit further back to the hotel. A nice walk during the day but in the late evening when you’re tired, maybe full from dinner and had a few drinks, it’s a little too far. Apparently the reason they are closing the gate is the condo owners (one in particular) were complaining about the noise from the restaurants late into the evening. But 9pm, even on a weekday seems a little earlier. Even more so on Friday and Saturday nights.

Although we didn’t do any of the traditional tours we decided to go on a tour with a non-profit called Investours. Their basic concept is that they provide microfinance loans to small businesses in the greater PV area. Each business applies for the help and agrees to a repayment schedule. They are required to go through a finance class to give them some basic business information. It is a way to help people that are helping themselves. Investours is structured similar to KIVA,one of the original micro-financing non-profits. The “tour” cost about $50 US dollars for each of us and all the money goes to the businesses. The tour consisted of several of us visiting 3 businesses, having the opportunity to talk to the owners, listen to their plans and interact with them. Investours plans it so you will visit one person who is new to the process, another business that is being visited for the second time and a third business that is being visited for the third time. The money for the loan goes to the business that has had 3 visits. This gives the businesses exposure and an opportunity to share their story. We went to the town of Bucerias which is ½ hour north of PV. It is a small fishing village and although there are some resorts, it is a very economy poor area.

Our first stop was to see Dona who owns a little storefront shop that is situated with all the other little shops in town. She sells beautiful hand woven shirts that she buys from some family members that have a factory in another part of Mexico. Additionally, she sells painted pottery and other things that all the shops sell. She works at the store every day until about noon, then she takes the shirts and walks the beach and sells the shirts to tourists on the beach. Her niece runs the store while she is walking the beach. Our second stop was at a paper goods shop owned by Lupita. She makes piñatas and sells party supplies. She is a single mother who used to work as a waitress. When she had the opportunity to open the business she remodeled the front part of her house and opened it up as a storefront. This opportunity is giving her more time with her daughter as now she is working out of her home. Our 3rd and final stop was at the home of Javier, a fisherman. Javier fishes every night and makes ceviche in the morning and sells it every day. He has several regular customers, including restaurant owners. He is known in the area as the “Ceviche Man”. While he was sharing with us he brought out fresh shrimp and tuna Ceviche to try, as well as Lobster Bisque. We had a wonderful lunch and enjoyed hearing about his business. When he is not fishing he works construction, helping build houses.

After we arrived at the Marina, I did not go back to town until the last day. Usually we go downtown at least 3 times during that week. On Saturday morning we got up and rode the bus downtown to go to the street market in old town. There were lots of vendors selling everything from jewelry to pickles, scarves, bread, etc. After the market we went to Joe Jacks for lunch. We had great Fish and Chips. We love that place…. Great food and great service.

Sunday the 19th – time to go home. The time went too fast, as always. However, this time I felt rested and ready to go home. It was such a different trip without some of the traditional things that we usually do, but on the other hand it was restful. We will always enjoy PV – might be back next year too.

2011 -Las Vegas

On Friday, 10/29 we got up early and went to the airport to head to Vegas because Doug had a conference to attend. I wanted to go along for the rest and relaxation in the warm weather. We were both tired as we had gotten in the night before from a week on Maui where Kaycie and Brad had gotten married (see previous post).

We arrived in Vegas about 11:30am and made arrangements to get to our timeshare, the Hilton Grand Vacation Club at the Flamingo on the Strip. We always seem to be the last stop, no matter where we stay so we didn’t get there until almost 1pm. Fortunately, they allowed us to check in so once we got settled we headed over to the Flamingo to have lunch. We ate lunch at the Tropical Breeze Cafe. After lunch we walked around for a while, gambled (and lost!). It was hot outside (in the 70’s) and it was fun to walk around for a while. Later we went back to the room to rest then to Margaritaville for dinner. It is always a lot of fun with lots of entertainment, great music and food. Afterward we walked around and there were lots of people celebrating Halloween and wearing costumes. That was fun!

Sunday Doug needed to be over at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino to set up his table for the tradeshow portion of the conference he was attending. I decided to stay back at the condo and go to the pool. When I got to the pool it was so refreshing. There were about 10 people there with plenty of places to sit and read. I ordered a salad from the deli and spent a couple hours relaxing. Doug got back about 3pm and around 5:30 or so we rode the monorail back to the Tropicana. The registration and check-in started at 6pm so Doug needed to be at his table, and he invited me to go with him. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the people that he works with on a day to day basis. They were serving appetizers so we also got a bite to eat while we were there. At 7pm the registration was over and they had a cocktail social that I was not invited to. I had my Kindle with me so I just waited for Doug in the area by the meeting rooms.

Once he was done we headed down to the Strip and took a bus downtown to the Fremont Street Experience.There were a lot of people downtown, and even more in costumes than the night before. There was entertainment going on everywhere and lots of people just enjoying all the entertainment. We went to the Fremont Hotel and Casino for dinner at the Paradise Buffet. We stayed in the area until about 12:30am then took the last bus back to the Strip.

Monday Doug needed to be to the conference at 8:30am so he left long before I woke at 11am. Wow – it was nice to be able to sleep in. I can get used to this! I finally got up and went down to the pool. Once again it was so nice and refreshing. I had my Kindle and got some lunch again at the Deli so what more did I need? I stayed for about 3 hours then walked down to Harrah’s for a little while. The weather was beautiful and warm, but they were predicting that it was going to get cooler and windy in the next couple days. That evening we just went over to the Flamingo and ate dinner at The Burger Joint. Afterward we walked around some more. It was Halloween so there were still a lot of people dressed up. We got back to the condo by 11:30 or so.

Tuesday Doug once again got up early to go over to the Tropicana for the conference. I went down for my pool time - this is getting to be a habit! Around 3pm I walked over to the Fashion Show Mall. About 5:00pm or so Doug called and said that we had been invited to dinner by one of his vendors. We needed to meet a group of people at CraftSteak in the MGM at 6:30. I got ready to go then took the Monorail over to the MGM and went to meet Doug by the Lion Habitat. When I got there, there were two of the trainers in with the lions and several people watching. They seemed so gentle and were having fun with the trainers, playing with the balls and allowing the trainers to cuddle up to them. Doug finally met me and we walked over to the Bell Desk to ask them to hold his laptop bag for him while we were having dinner. We got to the restaurant a few minutes late so the others had already been seated. The waiter came over right away and got our drink orders and at the same time our host ordered several bottles of wine and appetizers. Although the dress was casual the place was elegant and the food was upper scale. Most things on the menu were ala carte and started in the $60’s for only the steak portion. He ordered oysters, scallops, beef tartare, and several other things to try.

When everyone had arrived (a total of 12 people) the waiter came back over and explained more about the menu. Besides the ala carte things there were several combination portions that included special cuts of beef, all the sides and appetizers along with the meal. The combinations ranged from $115 - $295 per person, depending on the quality of beef and whether it included “surf”. Our host decided that we all needed to experience the best cuts of meat, and we definitely would want “surf” so he ordered 12 of the $295 per person meals! Once the food started coming it included all kinds of sides, asparagus, potatoes, salads, oysters, shallots, mushrooms, risotto, etc, then lobster and several different cuts of beef. Some of it was so tender that you literally could cut it with your fork. After the main course they brought out several desserts including different flavors of gelato (prickly pear, mocha, to name a few), cheese cake, lemon pie, etc. It was by far the most expensive meal we have ever experienced. The host told us all it was $5700 after tip was included. For 12 people! He joked about raising Doug’s rates. Although it was a joke, I hope it doesn’t happen!

After dinner we headed back to our condo, stopping along the way to gamble a little which for me had been a total bust for most of the trip. Although Doug was doing better than me he wasn’t ahead. But we were having fun, and that’s what counted.

Wednesday Doug got up and went to the conference. It was my responsibility to check out and be ready in the afternoon for the shuttle to take us to the airport. I had forgotten to check what time check out was so when I awoke at 10:15 I looked at the information and realized that I had missed it! I should have been out at 10am!. I called and got a noon check out and started getting our things together. At noon I checked out and gave our things to the bell hop and headed out for lunch. I walked over to Serendipity 3 for lunch. I’ve been to the one in New York so I really wanted to try this one.I had a wonderful spinach salad, and I was able to resist the Frozen Hot Chocolate that is so good! By the time I got back to the timeshare I had about 30 minutes before Doug was due to show up from his conference. I just sat and read and relaxed until he showed up. He finally got there about 2:20 and our Shuttle got there at 2:30 so we went to the airport for our 4:30 flight.

Our flight stopped in Oakland but we didn’t need to change planes. We got to SeaTac about 10:30pm and when we went to get our bag it wasn’t there. We checked in with the Southwest Airlines office and after giving a description of our bag they discovered that it had inadvertently been pulled in Oakland. They assured us it would be there in the morning and gave us a $50 voucher toward future travel for our inconvenience. We took the shuttle over to where our car was parked and got home about 11:30pm. Fortunately I was off for the next few days so we were able to unwind after a whirlwind vacation in Maui and Vegas! Now we are done traveling until our annual Mexico trip in February. I’m already excited about it and can hardly wait! Retirement can’t come soon enough.

Just Maui'd, Kaycie and Brad Tie the Knot, October, 2011

Long before Kaycie and Brad were engaged, in fact before they had even met, Kaycie had longed for a wedding in Maui. We were very excited when they announced their engagement, but not at all surprised to hear that it would be a Maui wedding. The girl knows what she wants!

So once the date was selected we started planning for our trip. Kaycie and Brad found a beautiful
5 bedroom house they rented in Napili (north of Lahaina on the west side of Maui) through Hawaiian Beach Rentals. We would be staying for 5 days at the house along with Brad's parents Glenda and Garen, his sister and hubby and little girls, Kim, Brandon, Olivia & Natalie, Kaycie's mom and stepdad Lori and Andy, and of course Kaycie and Brad and his 3 year old TJ. The house was perfect with lots of room to entertain, get away if needed, swim, explore, watch the giant sea turtles, and it was the perfect location for the wedding ceremony, but more about that later.

Everyone seemed to arrive at a different time. Brad's family arrived a few days before and Brad and Kaycie arrived on Thursday, October 20th along with her mom and stepdad. They were all staying in hotels until the house was ready Friday the 21st at 4:00pm. We arrived on Friday October 21st.

When we landed on Maui we got our rental car and started out toward Lahaina where we were to meet Brad and Kaycie. They were at the Banyan Tree Park under the banyan tree hanging out with the kids while others were shopping and sightseeing. We got there about the time others did and decided to go have a bite to eat. Although it was 1:30 pm for us it was 4:30 and we hadn't eaten since breakfast early on our 5 hr flight. We decided to go to Aloha Mixed Plate which we all had heard was excellent food and great prices. It was less than a mile from where we were so we all headed up there. They were very busy so we reserved a table and waited in the outdoor bar area and around the front of the restaurant. While we were waiting Brad and Kaycie heard the house was available so they decided to go with the kids and get settled in and we would all join them when we were done eating. Food was excellent, great portions and prices.

We left the restaurant and headed for the house. It was in a beautiful neighborhood, in a development with other houses on the waterfront, in a gated area. When we got there Kaycie showed us to our room which was downstairs and included a queen bed and its own bathroom. The downstairs had its own living room, big screen TV, bar area and two additional bedrooms for Brad's family. I took a walk outside and down to the beach area which included a beautiful pool and a rocky cove full of huge sea turtles. There was a cliff area to climb and look down on the pools of water. Although I didn't do it several people snorkeled in the cove and got close up views of the fish and the turtles.

A few of us went swimming in the pool and found the water warm and relaxing. Back at the house we walked around the yard and the Brad and Kaycie selected what they thought would be a great area for the ceremony. That evening for dinner we had barbequed steaks, salad, chips and veggies for dinner. We were tired from a full day so we went to bed by 10pm.

Saturday we got up about 8:30 and I went down to the pool for an early morning swim. It was refreshing and not too warm out. Once I returned and freshened up Kaycie asked if Doug and I would go to Costco and get things for the after wedding party. We also were to pick up the leis that had been ordered as well as a cake. Glenda decided to come along so we could stop and pick up things to decorate the yard for the ceremony. She had an idea in mind and although I couldn't see it in my mind I tried to help her select the items. On our way back Doug asked us to drop him off in Old Lahaina because he wanted to pick up something for Kaycie. Glenda and I had a couple more things to pick up at Safeway so we did that while Doug was shopping.

Once we got back home I went back to the pool, relaxed for awhile before dinner. Doug had some work to do so he stayed at the house. Glenda started with the decorations for the yard. She had found several bamboo sticks on the patio so she put those up and draped the netting that she had purchased. Before dinner while it was still light they had a short rehearsal time, making sure everyone knew their role and when and where they needed to stand, or start walking.

Dinner that night was lasagna, french bread and salads. More guests were arriving including Kaycie's grandparents, great aunts and uncles, friends etc. All in all I believe there were 23 people that evening for dinner and who were planning to be there the next day for the wedding ceremony. After dinner several of us started putting the kabobs together for the next night after the wedding.

Sunday morning after an early morning swim I helped Glenda get the yard decorated. She had picked some big leaves and ferns from the woody area around the house. We put some of the flowers we had bought the day before and made beautiful arrangements. We hung the flower arrangements on each of the bamboo stakes that were draped with the netting. Her vision turned out beautiful and made the setting so much more festive.

Around 10 am Kaycie's mom Lori who is a hairdresser started fixing everyone's hair. Cassie (Kaycie's maid of honor) did my makeup which was much appreciated. The photographer came at 3pm as well as the wedding planner, the musicians and the minister. They met with Brad first to get an idea of the ceremony plans. Then the photographer started to take pictures of Kaycie getting ready. She was relaxed, yet excited. Brad had written her a note that she chose not to read before the ceremony, afraid she might cry and mess up her makeup. He also had bought her a beautiful pearl necklace to wear. Andy and Doug had given her a pair of pearl earrings earlier, and Doug had bought her a beautiful gold necklace with a gold and tanzanite flip flop pendant to wear later. Andy gave her a gold and diamond bracelet.

Finally, at 4pm guests had arrived and everything was ready. Brad went to the top of the hill and stood with the minister who was wearing traditional Hawaiian wedding attire. The musician started playing music and Cassie started up the hill with TJ who was carrying a pillow that had the rings tied on it. They were followed shortly by Olivia and Natalie, holding half coconut shells with rose petals they were tossing out. They are 3 & 5 and were so precious. At one point they started running up the hill. The minister blew the conch shell which was the signal for Kaycie and her dads to start up the hill. She looked so beautiful! Once they reached the top of the hill the minister asked "who gives this woman?" and Andy and Doug both responded with "we do".

Doug and Andy each walked the girls down the hill and came to the balcony to watch the rest of the ceremony with the rest of the guests. Cassie stayed with TJ and the minister performed the ceremony and included TJ in some of the vows. Soon they were married and announced husband and wife. It was a beautiful ceremony. Unfortunately Scott, Kaycie's brother was unable to attend however he was able to watch via Skype.

After the ceremony the newlyweds went with the photographer down to the beach to take sunset pictures. Before they left Kaycie surprised Brad by taking the outer layer of her dress skirt off which revealed a beautiful short cocktail dress.

While they were at the beach the rest of us got the food out and ready for the party. We had chicken and beef kabobs, salad, rice and vegetables. Once they returned the BBQ was started and dinner was served soon after. The evening was fun and festive and everyone had a good time, including the little kids.

Monday morning we got up and Doug had worked to do so I went down to the pool. Others had decided to go to the beach at one of the public spots so we stayed back. Later Doug and I went down to old Lahaina and walked through the shops and had lunch at Lahaina Prime Rib and Fish Company, which had a view of the water. That evening we stayed at the house with Glenda and Garen and the kids while the adult kids went out for the evening. Andy and Lori went out to dinner with her folks.

Tuesday Doug and I drove over to Paia and started on the "Road to Hana" although we didn't intend to go the whole way. We drove as far as the botanical gardens and turned back. On the way we stopped at a fruit stand and bought some banana bread and some coconut candy to take back to the house. We stopped at Mama's Fish House and had a wonderful lunch. We got back to the house about 2:30 and Doug, Kaycie, Lori and I drove to Kaanapali and went to Whalers Village, an outdoor shopping mall. That night we had burgers grilled on the BBQ.

Wednesday morning Doug and I went to The Gazebo for breakfast. It is about a mile up the road, in a condo complex, but is very popular. There was a long line and we waited about 40 minutes, but once we got in we had a great breakfast. I had a spinach omelet and Doug had a traditional sausage and egg breakfast. It was very good and worth the wait. When we got back to the house we packed to leave the house. We had 2 more days but we were moving to Kehei. Brad's family was flying out that day and taking TJ with them. Kaycie and Brad were sure he would have a problem leaving, but he did great and didn't cry.

Since there was no one staying after us at the house we were told we could check out at anytime. Doug wanted to go back to Old Lahaina so I stayed and went to the pool for one last time. Kaycie and Brad met up with their friends for awhile and about 4:30 pm we all started heading for Kihei. Kaycie, Brad , Lori and Andy were staying at the World Mark timeshares, and we had rented a room at the Maui Sunseeker. Once we got there we were disappointed with the quality of the room, although it was clean. Since we were not planning on spending much time there we decided to make the best of it. That evening we went over to the World Mark and had a BBQ dinner with Brad, Kaycie, Lori and Andy. We left by 9:30 because we had an early morning planned.

In the morning Lori, Andy and I got up early and went to Haleakala to watch the sunrise. I set my alarm for 3:30 am and headed over to pick them up. Doug elected to stay back at our room and get some work done. We made it to the mountaintop about half hour before sunrise. There were lots of people there, in fact on the way up we stopped at a coffee stand and met up with Andy's brother Adam and his fiancée Erin. We didn't know they were going up so it was quite a surprise. Sunrise was gorgeous and worth the early morning and the ride up.

I dropped off Lori and Andy about 8:30 and headed back to our room. After a quick snooze about 11:30 am or so Doug and I headed over to their timeshare. Doug stayed in their room and worked and I headed for the pool with Lori and Kaycie. We needed to leave at 3:30 to go back up to Lahaina to a Luau for which we had tickets.

We got back to our place and got ready to go. The others picked us up and we headed to the Old Lahaina Luau. First we stopped at the Aloha Mixed Plate which was right next door to meet up with Josh and Erin (Kaycie and Brad's friends) one more time before they left. The Luau was so much fun with a mixture of great Hawaiian food including the roasted pig, traditional music and entertainment. We all had fun and since it was our last evening it was a great way to celebrate. We got back to our place about 10:30, and said our goodbyes since we were leaving early morning. They were staying for several more days.

In the morning we headed to the airport about 8:30 am for our 11:00 am flight. We needed to turn in the car first but we had plenty of time. That evening we got to SeaTac about 7:30 pm. It was hard to go home but we had a business trip to Las Vegas in the morning, so vacation time was not over yet!

Oprah's After Oscar Party -LA, California February 27th-28th, 2011

After trying for more than a year to get tickets to see Oprah I finally got randomly selected to go to LA to the After Oscar Party Taping on February 28th. It was taping at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, the same place the Oscars would be held the night before. The first round of selections was around the 4th of the month, then on the 14th I was sent an email that there were more tickets available. The deadline for the response was the 16th; however I didn’t see the email because I was in Puerto Vallarta. When I returned on the 22nd I saw that I had missed it. So I sent an email response on the 23rd, asking if there was any way I could still go and I got a response that we could go. So, on the 23rd we made quick airline, hotel and car reservations and started getting ready to go on Sunday the 27th, returning on Monday the 28th. We flew in on Sunday morning and got to LA about 10:30am. After getting our car we drove to Victorville to see Scott and Kattie and the kids. We got to their place about 1pm. Scott gave us a tour of their house which is new. It’s on a corner lot, has a large kitchen with island, a family room and formal living room, ½ bath and den on the main level and 4 bedrooms and two full baths upstairs. Doug’s dad had found last September and bought it with Scott. Scott will be refinancing the loan and paying him off in the next few months if possible. It’s hard to believe that they got this house for $109,000. We had a nice visit and stayed through dinner, leaving about 6:30pm to head back to LA. We watched a little of the Oscar’s while we were at Scott’s, but headed back before it was over. When we got to the hotel about 8:30pm it was already over. We expected to see some of the winners at the Oprah taping so we were anxious to hear who won. Monday morning we were at the Hollywood Bowl parking lot at 6am, waiting in line to check in. Shortly before 7am they had us get into 3 lines, based on the lead person’s last name. Once we got up to the check in table we were given yellow bracelets and directed to a particular bus. No-one knew for sure what the colors meant other than all the yellows would be seated together. But where? The Kodak Theatre holds 3400 people and has two balcony tiers as well as the main floor. After more waiting on the bus we were driven to the Kodak Theatre which was less than a mile away. We were directed into the building and there were signs directing us to the main lobby level. Several others were directed upstairs, so this was a good sign! We then formed another line in the lobby to wait for the doors to open. It was about 8:30am and the taping didn’t start until 10:00am so more waiting. Finally, about 9:10am or so the doors opened and we were allowed in. We saw immediately that we would be stage right on the main level with a good view of the stage. We ended up in Row L the 3rd and 4th seat from the middle aisle. All of the rows were elevated enough that it wasn’t a problem seeing over the person in front. The stage was magnificent with the Oscar motif from the night before. It was awesome to think that just last night this theatre held the biggest annual award ceremony for the actors and actresses. One of the Harpo Audience team members came out and warmed up the audience as they played music and several people got up on the stage to dance. Shortly before 10:00 Gayle King was escorted to a seat in the front row. She wasn’t introduced however several people called out to her and she turned and waved.
Then right at 10:00am Oprah was introduced and made her appearance onto the stage. She looked great however she announced that she had a bad cold. Immediately following her appearance, she introduced Colin Firth – Oscar Winner, Best Actor, The King’s Speech; Geoffrey Rush, Oscar Nominee, The King’s Speech; and Tom Hooper, Oscar Winner, Director, The King’s Speech. She talked to them for several minutes. She also introduced David Seidler, Oscar Winner, Writer (Original Screenplay), The King’s Speech who was sitting in the front row. Next she introduced Anne Hathaway who had co-hosted the ceremonies the night before. She was bubbly and funny and looked beautiful, even though she hadn’t gotten much sleep. Then she introduced Melissa Leo, Oscar Winner, Best Actress, The Fighter. After Melissa they cleared the stage and introduced the P.S.22 Chorus, and children’s choir from New York who had sung the night before at the Oscars. What a great opportunity for these 5th graders. As they were singing the Katy Perry song “Firework”, out walked Katy Perry singing with them! Click here to watch the performance and here to take you to their YouTube Channel. What a surprise! There were fireworks on stage and a lot of excitement. Oprah talked to her for a few minutes afterward and we were told that she had been in Vienna the day before and had flown all night to be there for the surprise. The taping stopped right at 11:00am and Oprah thanked us for coming and told us her last show would be May 25th. I’m so glad we had this opportunity to go while she was still on the air. Afterward we walked around the Hollywood area, watched as they were removing the things from the red carpet show the night before, looking at the sidewalk Stars, and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. We walked back to our car at the Hollywood Bowl then drove to Burbank and had lunch at Bob’s Big Boy. A quick trip down to the Santa Monica Pier then we were off to the airport for our ride home.

Click below to see more pictures.