Hello there,
Yes it is Friday and Michael returns from his work session in Minneapolis tomorrow late morning, but he is going to not stay, but head home to see Hank and enjoy some down time.
I can appreciate that in that tomorrow is going to be that for me. Mick has agreed to move breakfast to Sunday and that is when the apt. will get cleaned and I get to have a very mellow weekend. In fact as I type this, I am waiting for my delivery from Amazon Fresh and that is the like big thing of the weekend. Did the major shop buying paper towels and toilet paper and restocking in general. Granted I will need to do the re-cycle and garbage plus laundry, but all in good time.
Wanted to share a follow-up to having the broken down car on I-90 at the start of the vacation. If you remember, I had a blowout and had to wait a while for Enterprise to show up with a replacement. Well, it was a luxury SUV (who knew there was such a thing) and Jack told me I would get an additional 10% off my bill (which already had 10% off due to a special email I got since I am a Plus member) and that I did not have to refill the tank due to the delays. Well, off I go and have a great trip. So, I go to return the car and tell the person that while I could have returned the car empty, there was actually like a 1/2 tank in the car. She went out and checked the mileage and came back in and said since I had done that she would waive the mileage overage charge as I am a Plus member and had been so nice about everything. She must have known or heard about the incident to kick off my vacation. Well, all said and done my week rental came in at $313.27. When I got home I decided to look into just how much did I save overall if I had rented that luxury SUV and got dinged for the miles. Well folks, we are talking $639.45 so we are talking a savings of $326.18. WOWZERS!
It has been rainy drippy weather all week and it is supposed to get nice tomorrow. We shall see. I am not complaining in that I like cooler weather and to think Dallas is going to be over 100 tomorrow - UGH. So happy not to live in Texas. But how I love the great northwest. I think Saturday is going to be about enjoying coffee, reading and watching a movie or two. May not even leave the building if possible. Love when that happens.
The one thing I was quite happy about this day was getting through the nearly 1,100 emails from when I was gone. That is just insane to be sure. A lot of them I was able to forward on for others, but now I need to get some things settled on the upcoming Mexico and Italy trips for the club. Boy, to be going to Italy right now, the Euro is at it's lowest to the dollar in years.
Reading a great book right now called "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" and is set in Seattle, specifically in Chinatown so I can totally relate. Quite interesting to be sure and so that will be a highlight for this weekend. Have a great weekend and until next time, Cheers!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Ah the Salt Mine
Folks, all I can say is that I am one pooped pup! It was a heck of a day and was non-stop, so with that now being shared, I am going to take leave and relax this night and look forward to doing a better post tomorrow and over the weekend for sure. Cheers, Chris
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Vacation - The Rest of the Story
So now there have been 4 posts and this one makes 5 to cover my week away. Mom got a new furnace and we enjoyed an overnight at Crater Lake Lodge. The rest of the weekend was pretty unenventful and that was just fine with me. Mom loves to take care of her kids when they come to visit and you try so hard to do anything. I had to jump after meals just to have a chance to put dishes away. She's 87 and still kicking. We got to watch her favorite shows and enjoy stuffed cabbage and for my farewell meal she cooked steaks with corn on the cob. How awesome was that! Monday arrived all too soon and we hugged and I bid her a fond farewell as my adventure continued with my next stop being Portland.
Arrived just past noon and stopped to chat with Darlene for a while. She was my landlady for a while when I lived in Portland before moving to Seattle. We are still friends and got to chat for over an hour. I was then headed to Janet's apt. as we took in "Sex and the City 2" plus dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory. OK, so if you have not seen the movie yet and are considering going, save your money and watch it on DVD, I'm just saying!
We got to share some good stories and enjoy the evening knowing the holiday weekend was coming to an end. In the morning she was off to school and soon I was on the road back to Seattle. Got home and settled in and soon I was feeling like things were good. Michael arrived from the beach as he departed this morning for a conference in Minneapolis. He's back Saturday and Markie just got back this evening from the bay area. He stopped by to get a bag of goodies I have been assembling. So he's headed home and I am finally able to finish up this post. It has been a nice vacation, and yes, work did pop in a couple of times, but far fewer than I would have thought. So for now, I have some great memories and yet it is so nice to be home. Cheers!
Arrived just past noon and stopped to chat with Darlene for a while. She was my landlady for a while when I lived in Portland before moving to Seattle. We are still friends and got to chat for over an hour. I was then headed to Janet's apt. as we took in "Sex and the City 2" plus dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory. OK, so if you have not seen the movie yet and are considering going, save your money and watch it on DVD, I'm just saying!
We got to share some good stories and enjoy the evening knowing the holiday weekend was coming to an end. In the morning she was off to school and soon I was on the road back to Seattle. Got home and settled in and soon I was feeling like things were good. Michael arrived from the beach as he departed this morning for a conference in Minneapolis. He's back Saturday and Markie just got back this evening from the bay area. He stopped by to get a bag of goodies I have been assembling. So he's headed home and I am finally able to finish up this post. It has been a nice vacation, and yes, work did pop in a couple of times, but far fewer than I would have thought. So for now, I have some great memories and yet it is so nice to be home. Cheers!
Vacation - Breakfast With a View
So I have now posted some of the pictures I took on the trip and talked very little about our dining experiences. How rude of me! Crater Lake Lodge is a lovely place and with no TV, computers or telephones it really allows you to unplug and relax. The rooms are really nicely furnished in a craftsman style and the public areas are welcoming and relaxing. In my last post I talked a bit about the Great Hall which is where you can enjoy pre-dinner cocktails and light appetizers or dessert afterwards. They have numerous options of sitting areas from couches to rocking chairs by the fireplace or tables and chairs to play games or just chat. We tried several different options during the evening as you saw in the last post.
Since we had a late lunch at Beckie's Cafe, we opted for 7pm reservations. Once seated you could see that it was not packed, but still busy. Got to chat with a lovely couple from Portland at the next table and found out it was their anniversary and in sharing that we were there for Mom's birthday and Mother's Day it just made for a festive conversation. We took time out to order and Mom started with French Onion Soup which she happily pronounced as the best she has ever had. She also decided to order the Vegetable Fettuccini. I confirmed with her that it was a tomato based dish and she agreed. Likely due to all the excitement, it proved not to be what she wanted and would have preferred the traditional Fettuccini Afredo, but did say it was fun to try something different. Afterwards, I made it up by ordering the Very Berry Crisp that had three kinds of berries in it and she just loved it and while planning only a bite or two did enjoy a bit more which was fine as I am just not a berry dessert kind of guy unless they are fresh with yogurt!
For my dinner I started off with the Rogue Garden Salad which was a wedge of iceberg lettuce, tomato and sweet onion relish, candied walnuts with a Bleu cheese dressing. Can you say YUM! Then a cup of the Northwest Clam Chowder and they add smoked bacon and thyme to it and it was ok, but sadly a tad too much salt for my taste. Main course was Baked Oregon Bleu Cheese Halibut. Yes, Bleu cheese was the theme for the evening. It was prepared with sauteed shallots with a Bleu cheese melt down (not quite sure what that was?). A nice wild rice pilaf and fresh vegetables completed the plate. Filling but not overwhelming.
All too soon we were asleep and dawn arrived with lots of chirping birds and a lot of light due to the reflection off the snow. We were up and dressed by 7am and I took Mom on a bit of a tour of the Lodge. We arrived at the dining room just as breakfast was getting going and got a seat by the windows. As you can see by these pictures:
You can see why we opted for an indoor table since the outdoors was still a bit on the chilly side. Yes, you are looking at icicles on the rocker on the lower picture! It is not an illusion. But the sun was coming out and melting all the slick walkways that had developed overnight. This was a good thing as we delayed our departure to allow for the melt to occur.
At breakfast we were served by the gentleman who was busing the dining room the night before. Seems peoples schedules are pretty full and a crew that is seasonal so they float around a lot of the national parks in the country. Bill, our server was from Maryland. It was his 2nd season at the Lodge and he was working in the Dining Room with his girlfriend. They had just arrived from working the winter at Death Valley. He was quite a good server and our coffee cups never ran dry. Mom decided to have the Stuffed French Toast which was stuffed with Marionberry Cream Cheese and it was a nice sized portion, nothing over the top. I had the Venison Hash and Eggs. I love scrambled eggs and you could so tell these were fresh eggs and not a mix. The Hash was on the salty side like the chowder the night before, but hey, it was their first week up and going again so I was not evil, but opted for understanding.
After breakfast we went back to the room and read a while before heading home. It was weird in that the drive home was relaxing and had little traffic until we got to Medford, but oh the traffic heading the other direction was insane! It was Friday of Memorial Day Weekend and a lot of people were getting an early start.
Once home we got settled and played some dominoes. Mom won the first game and we got to enjoy a nap plus just relaxing and taking time to chat and read and kick back knowing we had a wonderful adventure.
Since we had a late lunch at Beckie's Cafe, we opted for 7pm reservations. Once seated you could see that it was not packed, but still busy. Got to chat with a lovely couple from Portland at the next table and found out it was their anniversary and in sharing that we were there for Mom's birthday and Mother's Day it just made for a festive conversation. We took time out to order and Mom started with French Onion Soup which she happily pronounced as the best she has ever had. She also decided to order the Vegetable Fettuccini. I confirmed with her that it was a tomato based dish and she agreed. Likely due to all the excitement, it proved not to be what she wanted and would have preferred the traditional Fettuccini Afredo, but did say it was fun to try something different. Afterwards, I made it up by ordering the Very Berry Crisp that had three kinds of berries in it and she just loved it and while planning only a bite or two did enjoy a bit more which was fine as I am just not a berry dessert kind of guy unless they are fresh with yogurt!
For my dinner I started off with the Rogue Garden Salad which was a wedge of iceberg lettuce, tomato and sweet onion relish, candied walnuts with a Bleu cheese dressing. Can you say YUM! Then a cup of the Northwest Clam Chowder and they add smoked bacon and thyme to it and it was ok, but sadly a tad too much salt for my taste. Main course was Baked Oregon Bleu Cheese Halibut. Yes, Bleu cheese was the theme for the evening. It was prepared with sauteed shallots with a Bleu cheese melt down (not quite sure what that was?). A nice wild rice pilaf and fresh vegetables completed the plate. Filling but not overwhelming.
All too soon we were asleep and dawn arrived with lots of chirping birds and a lot of light due to the reflection off the snow. We were up and dressed by 7am and I took Mom on a bit of a tour of the Lodge. We arrived at the dining room just as breakfast was getting going and got a seat by the windows. As you can see by these pictures:
You can see why we opted for an indoor table since the outdoors was still a bit on the chilly side. Yes, you are looking at icicles on the rocker on the lower picture! It is not an illusion. But the sun was coming out and melting all the slick walkways that had developed overnight. This was a good thing as we delayed our departure to allow for the melt to occur.
At breakfast we were served by the gentleman who was busing the dining room the night before. Seems peoples schedules are pretty full and a crew that is seasonal so they float around a lot of the national parks in the country. Bill, our server was from Maryland. It was his 2nd season at the Lodge and he was working in the Dining Room with his girlfriend. They had just arrived from working the winter at Death Valley. He was quite a good server and our coffee cups never ran dry. Mom decided to have the Stuffed French Toast which was stuffed with Marionberry Cream Cheese and it was a nice sized portion, nothing over the top. I had the Venison Hash and Eggs. I love scrambled eggs and you could so tell these were fresh eggs and not a mix. The Hash was on the salty side like the chowder the night before, but hey, it was their first week up and going again so I was not evil, but opted for understanding.After breakfast we went back to the room and read a while before heading home. It was weird in that the drive home was relaxing and had little traffic until we got to Medford, but oh the traffic heading the other direction was insane! It was Friday of Memorial Day Weekend and a lot of people were getting an early start.
Once home we got settled and played some dominoes. Mom won the first game and we got to enjoy a nap plus just relaxing and taking time to chat and read and kick back knowing we had a wonderful adventure.
Vacation - Mom and Memories
Well, the trip was not just about Crater Lake...it was about Mom! The trip was a bit of a surprise for Mom and she actually did not know where we were going until I got down there. She knew we were going some place overnight and early reports had her thinking the coast and so I gave her a clue by saying we were not going west. Well, she then decided we were off to Lake of the Woods. We used to have a cabin up there. So I told her we had never spent the night where we were going, but had enjoyed its' beauty over the years. Finally I told her once I arrived in Ashland and she seemed to be pleased. I had us booked in for the night and I took care of lunch and dinner on Thursday plus breakfast the next day. We did go down a bit early for dinner to enjoy the Great Hall. This first picture has Mom studying the menu and trying to decide what she was going to have for a pre-dinner beverage. She decided to have a glass of white Zinfandel wine. I opted for the Crater Lake Vodka Martini. How wonderful to be sure.
She enjoyed looking at the multi-page menu and then, once our beverages arrived the server was quite nice to take our picture. She took two and this was the better of the two. The furniture was all done to period and it was lovely.
And here is a nice picture of the fireplace. Oh I guess I could have been a good tourist and took thousands of images, but no, I wanted to enjoy the time and meet new people. With little distraction conversation came quite easy.
So now we have one more post about the Lodge and need to get you caught up on the news, but it is a lazy day and a nap beckons!
She enjoyed looking at the multi-page menu and then, once our beverages arrived the server was quite nice to take our picture. She took two and this was the better of the two. The furniture was all done to period and it was lovely.
And here is a nice picture of the fireplace. Oh I guess I could have been a good tourist and took thousands of images, but no, I wanted to enjoy the time and meet new people. With little distraction conversation came quite easy.
So now we have one more post about the Lodge and need to get you caught up on the news, but it is a lazy day and a nap beckons! Vacation - Using the New Camera
The trip down was quite nice, but rainy and yet I did not mind it at all. It was so needed to get away and I have to be honest to say I am not overly excited to have to go back to work tomorrow, but at least it is only for 2 days and then the weekend. But heck, this post is not about work, it is about the new camera I got a couple of weeks ago. Took it and following shows you how nicely the zoom works. The 3 photos are of Sentinel Rock to the best of my knowledge in looking at a map of the lake in relation to the Lodge.
I was amazed at the quality of the pictures and also, you should know that the pictures on the last posting and this were taken through closed windows. The crispness in the details and I am so glad I got them when I did in that within the hour the storm arrived and we got socked in. But hey it made for a lovely evening sitting by the fire and just relaxing.
I was amazed at the quality of the pictures and also, you should know that the pictures on the last posting and this were taken through closed windows. The crispness in the details and I am so glad I got them when I did in that within the hour the storm arrived and we got socked in. But hey it made for a lovely evening sitting by the fire and just relaxing. Vacation - The Arrival
Hello to one and all,
To go a full week without using cell phone, internet and little TV was strange and yet refreshing!
Today is the last day of vacation and then it will be back to the salt mine. All the more certain that change is in the air and we shall see how it all works out. But this is not about being finished, but rather we are just getting started. I am going to do the posting in 4 parts so that they do not go too far. Last week I drove to Portland on Tuesday evening but not before I was "the stranded vehicle on I-90 bridge" as my 1st rental car had a blow-out. Enterprise Rent-A-Car was awesome in getting a replacement car to me and off I went to get to my sister Janet's place in time to get to dinner before it was too late. We got in some chat time and then z-z-z time. On to Ashland on Wednesday. Arrived in time to enjoy the fire in the fireplace as it was a tad cold and the new furnace was being installed, but not quite working.
Alas, a part was not working properly and so we got to go heat-free for the night. No worries, we kept the fire going until we went to bed. Then it was off to Crater Lake on Thursday. We stopped by to see Meredith and Lizzy for a while and then it was on to Beckie's Cafe in Union Creek for lunch. Between the amazing burgers and the homemade pie = heaven! Mom and I split a piece of pecan pie on the way up and then on the way home we stopped and got pie to have with lunch. YUM! Got to enjoy a piece of peanut butter cream pie and how lovely it was. Can totally understand why the go through 80 pies a day during the summer months. Amazing to be sure!
So we began the drive up to the lake and well, there was snow still on the ground. Just take a look! The first photo is taken from the 2nd floor of the Lodge and then I decided to gain perspective by going to the 3rd floor (middle photo) and finally the 4th floor (bottom photo).
Wizard island is off to the left. It was the new cone that began developing when the mountain blew it's top hundreds of years ago. What a site to be sure. So it would be a good guess that snow drifts were up to 12 feet if not more in places. Yes, it was the end of May!
To go a full week without using cell phone, internet and little TV was strange and yet refreshing!
Today is the last day of vacation and then it will be back to the salt mine. All the more certain that change is in the air and we shall see how it all works out. But this is not about being finished, but rather we are just getting started. I am going to do the posting in 4 parts so that they do not go too far. Last week I drove to Portland on Tuesday evening but not before I was "the stranded vehicle on I-90 bridge" as my 1st rental car had a blow-out. Enterprise Rent-A-Car was awesome in getting a replacement car to me and off I went to get to my sister Janet's place in time to get to dinner before it was too late. We got in some chat time and then z-z-z time. On to Ashland on Wednesday. Arrived in time to enjoy the fire in the fireplace as it was a tad cold and the new furnace was being installed, but not quite working.
Alas, a part was not working properly and so we got to go heat-free for the night. No worries, we kept the fire going until we went to bed. Then it was off to Crater Lake on Thursday. We stopped by to see Meredith and Lizzy for a while and then it was on to Beckie's Cafe in Union Creek for lunch. Between the amazing burgers and the homemade pie = heaven! Mom and I split a piece of pecan pie on the way up and then on the way home we stopped and got pie to have with lunch. YUM! Got to enjoy a piece of peanut butter cream pie and how lovely it was. Can totally understand why the go through 80 pies a day during the summer months. Amazing to be sure!
So we began the drive up to the lake and well, there was snow still on the ground. Just take a look! The first photo is taken from the 2nd floor of the Lodge and then I decided to gain perspective by going to the 3rd floor (middle photo) and finally the 4th floor (bottom photo).
Wizard island is off to the left. It was the new cone that began developing when the mountain blew it's top hundreds of years ago. What a site to be sure. So it would be a good guess that snow drifts were up to 12 feet if not more in places. Yes, it was the end of May!
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