Do Not Adjust Your Screen...

Yes, this is the same posting from the one you see on the 25th. I am finally getting caught up on posting the Canada trip and liked this picture I decided to leave it up and have both.Hi folks, last week was a heck of a snow storm in Seattle and then it was off to Whistler for Thanksgiving with a group of 54 for work. It was a lot of work but what a group of people to step up and help. Above is a picture of Janet and me at the Crystal Lodge in Whistler. As the days allow I plan to post a full recap of the trip and dinner at Bare Foot Bistro - oh my! It will take a bit of time and with an upcoming trip down to see Mom on Saturday for a few days plus the holidays, know I will post as I can! Cheers!

This is Whistler - Our View

Before we bid good-bye to our stay, I want to show you a couple of the views out our windows. We were right in the center of everything quite frankly and after 14 inches of snow it has to go somewhere. The plows made this mini-mountain for the kids to play on for a couple of days. With news of more snow on the way, this pile of snow was scooped up the morning we were leaving and gone in less than an hour.

It is a winter wonderland and they add charm with a lot of lights in the trees. That is what the crane is doing below. The picture above and below also show the ski lifts. Yes, we were in the center of it all and likely we shall return next year. It had been a couple of years and a joy to get back up in the snow again. If you have not made it to Whistler, you so owe it to yourself.

Bare Foot Bistro - Take 1

Friday arrived with more snow on the ground and we served our first breakfast to the members. All hands on deck as we had just about everyone stop in for yummy breakfast. Jodie made egg casseroles of different varieties and there was various grab and go plus full coffee service. By 10 we had it all cleaned up and ordered lunch as we planned for the first happy hour with a “white trash” theme, complete with Jello shots and spam cubes. Oh my, they loved it. Once we got the masses out the door and dealt with an attempted influx of party crashers, it was time to get ready for an evening not soon to be forgotten. Heck, this entry is being written a month after and it was as if yesterday.

Rob and Jodie have told me how fabulous this place was, but with a name like Bare Foot Bistro, how can you take it seriously. Yet, once we got seated, I realized I had eaten here several years ago. It was heavenly. I had forgotten the name, but not the experience. So cocktails were ordered around and it was also a time to allow the wine to breath. If you look at the decanter that impresses even Jodie, it was stunning. And at $500 none of us touched it. We let them handle it and we were got the opportunity to try a 2004 Oculus – and here is what the winery has to tell you about the wine:

“The 2004 Oculus epitomizes exquisite balance, managing to be distinctively
complex and concentrated yet elegantly styled, with a smooth, polished texture.
The signature of the wine is the multiplicity of layers that unfold into
decadent plum, blackberry and chocolate notes. The distinguishing rich, loamy
earthiness and fine ripe tannins provide structure and mingle with lush fruit,
ensuring that the wine will develop additional complexity over many years. If
enjoying Oculus in its youth, we suggest decanting prior to serving.”

The blend for the 2004 Oculus is 74% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. It had to be one of the most enjoyable wines I have had in a while even beyond the decanter. As we enjoyed our martini’s with the first course, we let the wine open up. It only got better.

To kick off the meal we got a little starter surprise from the kitchen. In a porcelain spoon was a delightful scallop crevice & curried cucumber that had a nice little kick with red chili and citrus. There were five of us at dinner and the first course unfolded as follows:

Janet went for the balsamic roasted pemberton vegetables with wild greens, goat cheese & celery root puree.Jodie and Randy decided on the sous vide paradise valley pork belly complete with sweet corn, veloute, crème fraiche and cilantro.Rob opted for the seaweed & tea crusted albacore tuna served with coconut cream, thai basil with citrus.OK, call me predictable, but when I see oysters, I have to say yes and they were served with fresh horseradish and lemon mignonette. A wonderful palette cleansing green tea granche gave us the opportunity to pause plus it was time to see the wine poured for all to enjoy.
This ends Part 1 of our Gourmet Adventure.

Bare Foot Bistro - Take 2

When dining at Bare Foot Bistro, you get to decide how you are going to dine. There is the create a three course dinner which is what we decided to do for the evening. The other option is to go full out and have the five course chef’s dinner. This night we did not do the latter as some of the items on the menu just did not sit with the table. For me it was the smoked mackerel. I am just not a fan of this particular fish so opted for the 3 course adventure. For others, it was the duck. But in the end, it was all good. The wine was divine and we had main course arriving.

This course had two opting for the beef tenderloin which included a braised shank tortellini, cranberry gastrique and savory granola. Yes, this was my pick and it was a little bit of heaven.Two others decided to go for the braised beef shortrib with black garlic, scallion and truffle. Oh my.The last dish was Yukon arctic char served with atlantic lobster bisque, roasted salsify and fresh apple.As you can see, the portions are not about “all you can eat” but rather the flavors and presentation. I was in nirvana and that was just fine.

Dessert was next and it was the single reason we had all ventured to Bare Foot Bistro. They serve something I have never seen anywhere else. They take cream and add nitro to it so it cools fast and becomes nitro ice cream in moments and is just bliss. They serve additional toppings to make it festive, but I liked it just as it is. Following are a series of pictures of the event and it will not soon be forgotten. A dinner to remember!

American Thanksgiving in Canada!

The morning was leisurely and then it happened. I was on the phone with Curtis making sure they were clearing the border and Carly, the head of Group Sales pops by to say hi. She was talking about the Owner’s Suite up on the top floor while our suite was on the 1st floor (actually the 2nd but the whole lobby, etc. thing going on). This picture was taken on Wednesday actually before what happened next.

A total fluke. Rob asks the group sales manager for a tour of the top floor 3-bedroom unit. The rest of the group on the tour gushing over it had Carly placing a call after she left. The gushing convinced the sales manager to call the owner of the hotel who had booked the top floor unit for himself for the weekend and he traded us rooms. I’m guessing he also locked in the group coming back next year to this hotel. Only one problem, we had to flip rooms in 20 minutes, no kidding. We did it!

Bus arrived by 2pm and got people checked in and this allowed for a nice little nap before Thanksgiving dinner…the disaster loomed! Dinner was downstairs at Ric’s Bar & Grill. Set menu, should have stuck with buffet, but no, tried to do something a little nicer. I went for the feast, which was turkey and ham and all the fixings (after a bowl of chowder as a starter). The service was a cluster-fuck — like I said should have been a buffet and they should have had all the staff running and ringing up drink orders — as Markie said “they could have sold three times as much.” Not a good way to kick off the weekend but hey, it would get better, I knew it would and so stay tuned for the next installment.

Whistler - The Beginning

Whistler is so magical when the snow arrives and this year proved to be a stellar year to be sure. Curtis had just returned from hosting a trip to Thailand and it was not right to send him up on our 16th Annual American Thanksgiving Weekend without some help. I was able to get Jodie and Rob to join in on the fun and it was a real treat to see my sister, Janet, decide she would like to experience a place I had talked about for years. Uncle Markie decided that he had nowhere to be and joined in for the weekend. So with this troop and 54 members, we were off to Whistler by car and bus for a weekend to remember.Other than Curtis the rest of us made tracks north on Wednesday to get things set up for the arrival of the masses the following day. We departed the Emerald city just a bit before 10am on the 24th and made good time. Janet knew we were headed for the mountains, but by her own admission she was not prepared for the beauty that laid in store. Cleared the border in record time and you have to know that Markie is up here just a few too many times when the people at the Duty-Free store know him on a first name basis. Seriously, that is scary.There are times in life when you say something that you just wish you had not said. In this case it was sitting in the back seat of Rob’s Suburban and commenting on how there are “so many Canadian flags on all the flagpoles.” Mind you we were driving through Vancouver at this point. I do not think I will ever live that one down in part due to the generous gifting of a Canadian Flag patch to be applied to an item of clothing, a 3’ X 5’ Canadian flag and the face painting kit in the shape of the flag from the great white north, eh?! It did provide much laughter and that is a good thing.

After stopping for lunch in Squamish for lunch at White Spot (kind of like a TGIFriday’s) we made our last push for the Crystal Lodge in Whistler arriving just after 4pm. After getting settled in to the three bedroom suite Several of the clan headed to market for the first of four food runs in the coming days and I dealt with confirming reservations and checking in to see how things were going in Seattle. Mind you, Curtis was not leaving until the next day on the bus, but spent the beter part of Wednesday shuttling all the incoming members from the outer offices from the airport to the local hotel. Have to love that we actually had a member from the bay area that did not get his ticket until the night before and thus was on a 10:00 flight – OY!Quoting from Markie’s blog: “I’m doing tonight’s meal (and breakfast tomorrow) which is a standing rib roast – damned expensive up here in Canadaland — $49 for a four pounder, ouch. Add some roasted vegetables in the bottom of the pan and a salad on the side and you have a meal. Thanks Rob for the two bottles of wine. Yummy. The main event for the night was watching Jodie make the Jello shots for Black Friday.” This is how the trip kicked off and there was some personal drama as I was not feeling up to snuff and dealing with an infection, plus the whole weight issue and add on the altitude plus not sleeping great the first night…well, Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy New Year! OK, Almost...

No you are not misreading the headline, I have always seen the season of fall to be a time for me to renew and revisit and kind of make my resolutions. Don't usually wait until the end of year. So today I was working from home and not feeling 100% yet as I was looking out and watching the snow fall I came up with a short list of what I want to work on for the coming year...but think I may have to trim a few out, may be wanting to fix too much at once:

Better Person
Volunteer More & Perhaps Get a Hobby
Open to Finding Love/Partner
Follow Dreams More
Advance or Change Career
Have More Fun Plus Travel More
Work on Weight & Exercise
Save More Money
Get Organized & Quit Procrastinating
More Time for Self

Sometimes it is not the best to just let your mind run wild or you may get to be too critical of what is going on in your life. At least I have the coming holiday weekend to pause, ponder and put together a plan of action. And so we go.

Winter Storm Watch 2010!

I so love when a storm approaches. The various weather agencies and TV stations go crazy. It is too funny to watch. Heck, channel 7 is going on the air at 4AM tomorrow morning to have Doppler, Nexrad, Storm-tracker 7000 kick in and be on top of the weather. I will feel for the reporters who will be sent out with wind meters and rulers to "show" the storm LIVE! And you so know it will be like not there. They can only wish. Yes, it is cold. There were brief snow flurries today and I understand that south and north there was more, but my goodness, tonight it is going to get cold. Think even I will be ducking under the covers tonight to snuggle up and stay warm. There is something about the first real storm of the season: EVERYONE MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!

ABC's of Sunday

Oh the good old ABC's that serve us all so well. Today it was:

A is for Airport where I went to pick-up Markie as he returned from the Thailand trip. He looked fried to say the least. As I arrived at the cell phone lot I saw the plane pulling up to the gate. It would be another 30 minutes or so, just time to finish the issue of The New Yorker I was reading from early November. Now, only 2 behind I do believe.

B is for Brunch that I had with Dancing Bear & Crimson at Hudson's. I decided to try something completely new and was delighted I did. Called "The Coup" the omelet was flavorful and made with chicken, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and goat cheese. Sadly, they have appeared to change their coffee or the server does not know how to make it proper. Met a gentleman there by the name of Paul. I swear I know him.

C is for Cleaning and oh Moonsong does such an amazing job. I walk in and the place is divine. Leaves are all gone and the place will begin to transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Had toyed with beginning it today, but may wait until after my return. Perhaps do a little each night from the 28th through the departure for Medford on the 4th. The tree gets up but will not be decorated until the 10th or 11th me thinks.

Lazy & Leftovers

Michael came up from Long Beach and last night we got Chinese Take-out from a favorite restaurant. Many of you have been to Shanghai Garden with me over the years in our visits there, but last night we opted to hang out in the apartment and enjoy eating dinner in. We ordered the Pepper Salted Squid as well as Steamed Dumplings. Both are awesome and we totally scarfed those. Additionally, we got Pork Fried Rice, Kung Pao Chicken, Spicy Cucumber Salad and Dry-Sauteed String Beans. I was full after my first plate, and Michael did not last much longer. Needless to say, I got to enjoy leftovers today and that is call heaven. Heck, toss in an order of their Hot & Sour Soup which will be dinner tomorrow and we are in bliss. So enjoyed a great meal and got to have some really good heart chat. Life is just posing some challenges and all will be good down the road.

But living in the now, while leftovers provided nutrition for late lunch/early dinner, this day was all about being lazy. Seriously, I was totally fried and since Michael got an early start to get home, I decided a little extra shut-eye was in store. Movies, reading and coffee made for a day that helped recharge. Tomorrow is going to have several errands and who knows how cold will it be? Catch up later...

A Great Moment in History On This Day...

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — 19 November 1863

Michael Arrives & Life is Calming Down a Bit

Hi there folks, it is Thursday and well, somehow I have been able to keep up. The calendar finally got up to all the members in the Seattle club and my dear friend Barb in Kentucky moved mountains to give me a little breathing room. Whistler is in good shape as we are nearly sold out. The ski resort is opening early this weekend and the big email out to the members goes out tomorrow. But tonight is all about Michael arriving (yes, that is him above - can he ever take a bad picture?). He will be up for a couple of days and it is always a joy to have him in my home. Catch you later...

Tea Time With Lars & Anita

Today I had a heck of a day at the office and it was go, go, go. With Curtis over in Thailand, I am really blitzed by all that has to get done. I have never had so much dumped on me when a coordinator has gone out of town. Wow! But hey, I am keeping my head above water even if it means 12-14 hour days. Things are getting done and I just can't pause, there will be time to review next week. But this day provided a moment to pause and just enjoy some time with dear friends. I have known Lars & Anita now for years and they are a treat. Today they had me over for tea at 3:30pm and for the next three hours the world did not exist. We talked, laughed and enjoyed a lovely cauliflower soup and then a couple of treats. How I enjoy my time with them. Tomorrow Michael arrives from the beach for a couple of days and this weekend Christmas is going to be saying hello!

What a View...

Every night when I head home from work. I take the first exit after the tunnel and turn onto Dearborn Street. I get to see this every night and tonight it even had a bit of green accent light. Very nice. There is something to be said for the early sunset. Boy, last night did we have the winds up this way. Tonight, I got my whole planned trip on an outline for future use. I will do the Fall-B-Que tour to be sure. And now we get to gear up for the possible first snow storm of the year! Oh joy...and so it goes.

Foggy Weather

Did not forget about all of you. Just had a strange weekend and yet went with it. Up early and out the door on Saturday to enjoy breakfast with Mick at Patty's Eggnest. Driving home thought I would gas up the car, but the Safeway was sold out. No problem. Got home and started laundry and dishes. Looked around and was quite pleased so decided to watch a movie and grab a nap. Soup and Salad for dinner brought computer time and paid bills. Noticed the fog was rolling in.

After a good night's sleep awoke early to thick fog and decided to read and enjoy coffee. Well, I fell asleep reading only to wake up about 10am and it was so foggy. Puttered and then out the door to Tyler & Randy's to play Catan. Have been playing for about a year now and it is fun. Well, I could not believe that out of nowhere, I won again in just about 90 minutes. It was too early for dinner so we chatted a bit and then I headed home. So while I was a bit social this weekend I also allowed my body to relax. Much needed.

Woke up to more fog this AM and out the door to the office where the day's events left me in a fog. Home now and relaxing as there is a solid wind blowing and you should see the clouds moving fast. Thus, I am going to sign off and it is a pretty much boring night on TV so I do believe I am going to try and read again. And so it goes...

Leaf Me Alone

I mentioned earlier this week that when Moonsong cleaned this week, he decided to leave a few gifts around the apartment. He knows that autumn is my favorite season of the year and while I had transformed the Halloween decor into Thanksgiving, there is an emphasis on all the colors and textures of autumn. It is rather enjoyable. The first picture shows the dining table and if you look past the left chair on the floor you'll see some leaves infilling the corner.
This next photo shows you how the leaves starting spewing all over the floor and heck even the sideboard got a few swirling all around on the table. Who was it that sang "Falling Leaves" that was so popular?
Here is what had me laughing so hard for a while. Moonsong dropped leaves all around the glass table. They were everywhere and I laughed as we were talking letting him know that the leaves were going to stay put until he came to clean in two weeks.

Honoring Our Veteran's

We Pause to Remember

My Mom Served in WWII in Germany

Two Weeks & Counting

Two weeks from now I will be back up in Whistler. Have not been up there in a couple of years and it should be a lot of fun. Jodie and Rob are returning to handle the food and oh are they good at that. Always a good time to be sure. For the first time, my sister is going to join in on the fun and my oh my, Markie is going to join in on the trip. He and Curtis are going to be heading up right after their return from Thailand.

This year we have a group just under 50 and are crashing right in the heart of the village at Crystal Lodge. I would like to catch the peak to peak Gondola ride and other than that no real agenda other than making sure everyone is having a good time.

Now back to this day and I can tell you I was just about to have to let go of my usual haircut when a conference call got delayed and so across the water I drove and up to Ruby's to get the usual from Ronell and he is awesome. Looks like he may be moving to a new place to work. Yup, I shall follow.

Back at the office the day flew by and soon I was headed for home as Amazon Fresh is delivering this evening and finally I think everything is back to stocked as I had let a lot of stuff get depleted as I was going on vacation.

One thing I did not get to share yesterday was that when I arrived home Moonsong had been by to clean. He also placed leaves throughout the apartment and to say it is festive would be an understatement. Needless to say, I was floored. I do think I'll need to get some pictures to capture is as a wonderful memory. Catch up later...

50 Years Ago...

...John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States of America. It was to be a short lived moment of Camelot. Oh the memories still run strong. The flame of hope still burns strong.

Monday Mania

Ah yes, we "fell back" yesterday and so tonight was the first after sunset commute home. It also got a little more fun as I took the boss to the airport and he could not just be a good passenger, no that would be the right thing to do.

No, I almost got rear ended and immediately avoided getting side swiped. Mind you, I drive each day just fine...and then this happened. Mind you, next time he asks for a ride, I do believe the answer will be NO!

Sunday Surprises

Woke up this morning and it was a totally different feel. Maybe the clocks falling back helped and yet the apartment had also made the flip from Halloween to Thanksgiving. Change was in the air and the rain from last night had given way parting clouds and the sun made an appearance. At the same time I really felt a need to continue my focus inward and take the day to do chores around the apartment and read plus catch a movie. After talking to Mick and bowing out of going to Glo's for breakfast - just did not want to try and deal with the lines of traffic - I made up a couple of potato pancakes with sour cream. Turned out real nice with coffee.

Watched "Back to the Future" and it was fun to look back 25 years to a movie I had not seen since it came out. Ah the memories. Then it was time to get the apartment in order and with bright skies I threw open the windows to air out the apartment and then heard the kick off of the Seahawks game - which proved to be a total disaster. Soup and Salad for lunch was good and I even got to make some great phone calls to catch up with people. At the same time I realized I was just not into getting in the car today and going out to dinner. So found Helene online and chatted to let her know I was going to hang at the house and not go out. Yes, I actually put me first and foremost this weekend and feel really rested. Heck, I even got in a nap and tonight I made some coleslaw and a sandwich for dinner. Yummers and it is dark early. So would love to sit here and say it was exciting, but you know what, it might not have been exciting, but oh it was enjoyable. Have a great week.

Don't Forget to Fall Back

Be sure to take time and turn your clocks back this evening before you go to bed tonight. Also, it is a great time to check your batteries of your smoke detector. Sometimes it is the little things that make life better and enjoyable.

The Colors of Autumn

You know there are times that Mother Nature just blows me away. In these two pictures the work is just over the top. Both happen to have come from Germany. To think that the world over we all get to enjoy the glorious colors. Above reminds me of a grove of trees in Ashland, my hometown, in Lithia Park. Below, well, it is the home I would love to come home to. Alas, I still have the great colors of Beacon Ridge.

And Hello Friday

The past two weeks have been weird. That is the only way I can describe it. I was feeling drained and not sure what was up plus a vacation was about to kick off, yet I knew it was not the best choice. Sometimes we hit a wall and need to just stop and look at things before moving forward. So a visit to the doctor and listening brought about the following:

*Took a few days of solid bed rest and finally said good-bye to the
lingering chest cold.

*There was a mild infection in the region where I had the procedure done in
September. Between the chest cold and infection, my body was just run
down.

*The weight did not help anything!

*So it starts over and the cold is gone and the infection is doing much
better. I am walking again and finally feeling better, but there are
moments.

*Took time to just rest, read and relax.

*Getting back to having fun again and letting go of a lot of crap.

*The vacation did not happen, but it will, there is not doubt about that,
just next year.

Looking forward to getting back to the blog again and maybe not everyday, but that's cool. There are some days that are just meant to step back, relax and enjoy life. Tomorrow is exactly one of those days. Shaking things up a bit and focusing on me the entire day. Enjoy the weekend!