Cities

This year has been filled with road and rail travel, well, filled compared to any other year. It's no wonder I'm still painting my kitchen cabinets and have yet to move on to the walls.

Here's a list of places I've been so far in 2009:
1. New York City
2. Buffalo
3. Boston
4. Boston (again)
5. Reston, VA
6. Washington D.C.
7. Corning
8. Toronto

I'd like a nice Top Ten. Boston can count as one, and Reston and Washington are so close let's count them as one as well so there are four slots to be filled by a world of possibilities.

I'd take any of these candidates:
1. Kailua, HI
2. Venice, Italy
3. Seattle, WA
4. Lancaster, CA (to drive the musical road, of course)

SharePoint Saturday, D.C.

I don't use SharePoint. I have just a basic idea of what it does. Who knew it would take me on a variety of road trips and lead to fun excursions at the destinations? While Rick packs his brain all day at SharePoint sessions, I meander around wherever I am until we meet up with the group later to go out and have fun.

I have now tagged along to two SharePoint Saturday weekends - one in Boston, one in D.C. - or to be more precise, the surprisingly fun suburbs of Waltham, MA and Reston, VA. In Boston last month, I set out on foot and didn't stop until five hours later and then just to have some lunch. While in D.C. this past weekend, we headed into the city to experience the monuments at night. The cherry blossoms littered the ground like delicate pink confetti as we walked from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington, the spring night air was perfect and the company highly entertaining and welcoming to a non-SharePointer. From an impromptu light saber duel during which a stranger sidled up and joined in for a few jabs to lying at the base of the Washington monument to look up at the top, it had the air of a senior trip. Maybe that's because my senior trip - way back in the day - was there though our bus driver got lost, and we didn't get to all our designated stops.

Rick is really motivated as a user of SharePoint to learn all he can and then share what he knows via blogging and presenting. I had a small epiphany today about getting certified in the design programs I use. Perhaps I could eventually train people if I headed in that direction. It could be worth the mental road trip.

I <3 Anemones

It was a lovely day at Boston's New England Aquarium with my folks. My
mom had the fine idea of going, and it's well worth the trip. But go
on a Tuesday - like that commercial that's on right now suggests. By
noon there were more people than fish!

One of my favorite things was this first tank we spent about 15
minutes at. Anemones are such fantastic creatures. I was more excited
to see them than the fish.

The jellyfish special exhibit was excellent. They were the only
creatures I was glad to be seperated from by glass. Apparently
jellyfish are psyched about global warming because they are very
adaptive and thriving. There were penguins, but it's sad to see them
stuck inside. Myrtle, a 70-80-year-old sea turtle so large you
couldn't get it in the back seat of your car, is also in residence.

It's Been Days

It's been days, nay, over a week since my last post! What shall I share with you this time? If you're like me, you've thought about throwing a paper airplane out of a skyscraper. Here's a video of someone who did and recorded their craft's beautiful flight from take-off to landing.

The Time of My Life

I've been to some wonderful and fun places, but these past 11 days we're my favorite in a row since I've been on the planet. Every day it seemed I was saying, "I've never seen anything like it" about one thing or another. It was a treasure to be able to go to this place, and I hope we are lucky enough to do it again and that you are able to get there one day, too.

Everyone who's been to Hawaii seems to have their own must-do list, so here is mine in no particular order of all the things that were the best:
1. Surf in Haleiwa on Oahu's North Shore
Look up the North Shore Surf Girls for lessons.
2. Snorkle in Hanauma Bay
3. Eat Shave Ice Every Chance You Get
Jo Jo's in Waimea is fabulous; the Polynesia Cafe in Hanelei is excellent, too, and we liked the place next to Bubba's Burgers across the street in Hanelei (All on Kauai, but you can get it on other islands, too.)
4. Watch the Sun Rise Everyday
5. Stand in the Rain
6. Take a Hike (short or long, you'll see something amazing)
7. Feast at the Oceanarium
8. Watch the Sun Set
9. Buy a new Swatch
10. Spend Every Blissful Hour with the Love of Your Life*
11. Come back with bruises, scrapes, scratches and a "rash" from surfing - proof that it was all real
12. Buy enough souveniers that you have to purchase extra luggage

*Solo? Go with friends, go alone - just go.

Mahalo for Removing Your Shoes

People know I'm a stickler for having folks take their shoes off when they come to my house. Have you worn those shoes in a public restroom? Then you are not wearing them in my house.

Imagine my delight when I find a whole state has adopted this Japanese custom. We were instructed to do this at both bed and breakfasts we stayed at, and one even had this tile hanging that was hand painted in Kaua'i. We never made it to the Banana Patch Studio where they are made, but on the last day B said, "Let's stop here" at one of the souvenir shopping plazas. I was very excited to find Elephant Walk, a store that carries Hawaiian made items and they had the Banana Patch Studio tiles there! I bought the one in the photo and just finished hanging it by my front door. Hawaiian style - I love it!

Dirty Shirt

Speaking of bringing Hawai'i home, while we did not bring anything native that we weren't supposed to, we thought this was an excellent alternative: the real dirt shirt. These shirts get their color from being handwashed with the super-staining red dirt like we actually hiked on.

Mmm, Sweet Plumeria

I wanted to bring as much Hawai'i as I could back with me, and one thing I'll always remember is the sweet scent of fresh Plumeria flower leis. When I chose the one I wore all the way home, the lei-maker assured me they all smelled the same, but he didn't know I just like smelling them all. That lei was looking pretty sad - just like the person wearing it - by the time our plane landed in Chicago two days later.

In a health food store in Kailua called Down to Earth, I found a Plumeria Hawaiian-made soap by Bubble Shack. If it's as good as it smells, I'll have to treat myself until I can wear fresh flowers around my neck again. Cool petals and a soft sweet scent - I highly recommend purchasing a lei and wearing it until it wilts.

I Like Poi!

For our last dinner in Hawai'i we walked to Tiki's Grill and Bar just a couple of blocks from our hotel in Waikiki. I was excited to see the Aloha Hawaiian Plate on the menu as it had all the things I had been meaning to try: kalua pig, lau lau, lomi salmon, yahi poke, mashed Okinawan sweet potato (the purple potato I had earlier in the week), coconut haupia...and poi.

Poi is not nasty, and I actually liked it! B thought it was okay, but didn't think it was awful or anything. It's somewhat bland (although it can be tangy if left to ferment) with a smooth creamy consistency. At a hula show a native Hawaiian asked an audience member what he thought poi tasted like. The guy replied, "Paste!" The Hawaiian said that was interesting, but that he didn't eat paste so he wouldn't know what that was like. Great comeback.

From what I've read, poi is a respected life-giving food, and it's kind of sad it's a joke here in Usaville, as one Hawaiian called the mainland. So try it. You may not like it, but it's always best to be nice about it.

Shave Ice, Oh How I Miss Thee

As far as I can find, shave ice is a uniquely Hawaiian treat developed on O'ahu. Blocks of ice are shaved by a very sharp blade almost to a fine powder and then drizzled with mostly tropical fruit flavors. This may sound like a slushy, but the texture is much much finer and to me, much tastier. Many places will serve this on top of ice cream.

After four hours of hiking on Kaua'i, we felt it was high time to try some so we stopped at Jo Jo's in Waimea. The door was shut, but a big "We're Open!" sign was still on it so B stopped the car, and I ran over to see. The friendly worker said they were open for a few more minutes so I waved him in and then tried to decide between the 60 flavors. I went with the Rainbow (strawberry, banana and vanilla syrups), highly recommended by the Ultimate Kauai book, and B chose the Island (pina colada, mai tai and strawberry daquari) both served over macadamia nut ice cream. Ice cream is one of my favorite foods, and this little treat is spectacular. It's worth getting a flight to just go try this. Now I'll have to start a quest to see if I can find this anywhere on the mainland.

Cave to the Blue Room

This is the wet cave (obviously) to what is called the Blue Room. A few cars are parked on the side of the road near a nondescript trail. You would have no idea that this wonder is just a short hike up the hill, but thanks to my Ultimate Kauai book and directions from Mark at our B&B, we found it.

Toward the back right you can swim to another room in the cave that can be bluer than this, but two swimmers on their way out reported that on this day it wasn't. The water level has to be just right to create the effect. If they had said it was, I probably would have taken a swim even though I was in shorts and a shirt and the water was chilly.

A Saturday Afternoon Hike

We successfully made it to our second island, Kaua'i, on the fourteenth. The day after we drove up to see Waimea Canyon, and at the end of road, 20 miles in, we decided to take the Pihea Trail to the Alaka'i Swamp - the highest swamp in the world. Lucky for us it was dry and sunny, but you can see why the boardwalk was installed in the pictures below. To quote The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, "The Alaka'i Swamp Trail leads to the edge of cliff (they're not kidding!) where the Kilohana Lookout affords a majestic view of Ha'ena (the town where we are right now) on the north shore, clouds permitting. The ancient Hawaiians used this trail to get to the north shore when the surf precluded going by sea. Once at Kilohana, they went over and down the 3,400 cliff to the valley floor and along the sloping valley to the ocean. All this for west siders to visit family on the north shore in the winter." You can see Ha'ena in the top left of the bottom photo. That's the ocean.

Minutes after we got to the end, clouds flew right up the valley walls with amazing speed creating a complete white-out. We chatted with another hiker and watched it dissipate again. It was a four hour hike round trip, and we treated ourselves with shave ice from Jo Jo's which is quite a wonderful treat that deserves a post all its own.

16 years ago today we got engaged, and this was a pretty cool way to spend it.

Surfing the North Shore, Oah'u

 

Here's me with surf instructor, Mason, who it turns out is a fan of our Dinosaur BBQ. People we're kind enough not to subject him to a garbage plate on his visit.

I am not a natural at anything that requires athletic skill, but I took to this...yes, like a fish to water. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done, and thanks to Mason's excellent teaching skills I stood up the very first time I tried. As I paddled out to catch the second wave I said to myself, "I'm moving to Hawai'i." Unfortunately the Lottery ticket B and I brought with us wasn't a winner otherwise you wouldn't have seen us for at least a few more weeks.

There is nothing cooler than the ocean flying beneath your board and propelling you to the shore. I'll definately be doing this again. Mason if you read this, can you comment and leave me the name of that town to go surfing in Rhode Island? It's the only New England state I haven't been to, and I sure have a reason to get there now.

The Day in Pictures

Better than I even dreamed. Please send my furniture.

A, if these weren't children's sizes you woulda got one. I was so psyched and then bummed.

Pineapple Rick!

Whales, Purple Potatoes and More

 

We saw whales! Off of the trail that leads to the Makapu'u lighthouse the ocean is designated as a Humpback whale sanctuary, and they know it. The whales come from Alaska to do their family making here. At first you see the massive splashes - imagine cars intermittently being dropped into the ocean from a plane - then you just watch that spot, because it seems a whale cannot jump just once. Above is one we were lucky enough to catch!

Some other notes of interest of the day were the sunrise over Kailua beach, a regular looking sweet potato that is as deep purple as an eggplant on the inside on my dinner plate and being completely dumped off our sea kayak upon takeoff. We thought landing would be a repeat disaster, but we brought our craft in like pros. It was a good thing, too, because a couple on the beach was betting that we would dump it.

Sunrise

 

Tuesday morning.

Good Morning from Oah'u

 

Yesterday at Kailua Beach, about 50 yards from our room.

While we were standing around the luggage corral at the airport yesterday a woman was carting around stand of leis. I am not one for impulsive touristy purchases, but the smell of the flowers was incredible. It turns out Plumeria, the flower that it's made of, has a history of being a temptress.

From Wikipedia: "Plumeria flowers are most fragrant at night in order to lure sphinx moths to pollinate them. The flowers have no nectar, and simply dupe their pollinators. The moths inadvertently pollinate them by transferring pollen from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar." They are also incredibly fragrant during the day, at an airport and even the next morning while blogging at the laptop.

Four Magic Words

I've been telling people that I am going on vacation and when they ask where, it feels surreal to answer, "I'm going to Hawai'i."

This statement has illicited a dreamy-eyed affect (see photo) on nearly everyone I have uttered it to. If they haven't been, they want to go. If they've been, they want to be going again. Never has any destination I've been to (Florida, Colorado, Maine, Vermont, Tennessee, California, Myrtle Beach, New York City) brought on the response I get from saying the word Hawai'i. It's magic.

There is a Shangri-la notion of this place, imaginings of a world filled with waterfalls and rainbows. One person summed up a trip to these islands with, "That's the American dream." I know I thought that it would always remain one for me.

Corning, Ithaca and Beyond

We never spend our free money. It just always goes back into the pot, but this time when we got some cash back my husband and I decided we'd do something with it. So we called up my folks and the four of us went on a tour of south central New York.

Corning was our first stop, and we spent the whole day at the museum. It's amazing how much time you can spend there and still not see everything. We highly recommend trying a Make Your Own Glass session. My dad and husband made blown-glass pumpkins, and I made a fused glass wind chime. I was pretty excited with how it came out. Above you'll see it's in progress. I got us half price rooms at the Econo Lodge with my Entertainment book membership - love that thing! A hot breakfast was included, and if you happened to be there, it's likely my parents helped you figure out the waffle maker.

The next morning we walked up and down Market Street, Corning's main street, and came across a pie eating contest. We had walked into a coffee shop earlier that morning and actually met a contestant. We rooted for coffee guy, but the mayor beat him by a mouthful.

Lunch was a fresh baked pizza a Jeraldo's and we enjoyed some garlic knots, stopped by Glassart Studio and Montour Falls which you could drive right by on a village street if you didn't look up.

Taughannock Falls State Park was on our way so we stopped and did a 1.5 mile hike to the cataract. I expected we may walk just a ways because, although my parents love the outdoors, their knees are so not crazy about hiking. We mosied along the trail and while they took their time, B and I went up to the end. The narrow cascade that is higher than Niagara Falls was lovely to behold as it tumbled to the green pool below. We decided to pick up the pace and get back to my folks just as my dad rounded the corner asking how much farther because mom wasn't too far behind. We couldn't believe it! I knew she could do it, but her knee was bothering her more than usual so I didn't know if she would. We told him she'd have to keep coming now because it was so close. We didn't know she'd already made up her mind to make it, and she went all the way to the lookout! See the tiny people to the right in the top right photo?

We dined at the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca - yes, that of vegetarian cookbook fame - and the meal was fresh and prepared with care. The 40 minute wait is worth it. Ithaca is a hopping town and reminded us of Boulder, Colorado and Burlington, Vermont. Every hotel was booked! Finally we found a room at a place fellow hikers on the trail had suggested to my parents. This place cost twice as much, had no breakfast, no free DVDs, no noise insulation and not one clock in the room. The people below us had moved their furniture outside and talked and drank in to the wee hours. I was very close to calling the management, but let it go which is not my nature. I'll chalk it up to being under the weather. A cold that had started developing late Friday was in full swing Saturday night. Ugh. I really needed some sleep. We got up nice and early and took showers. The pipes made a hideously glorious racket that couldn't have pleased me more. B said he thought he heard the people downstairs pounding. I sure hope so.

Since there was no breakfast this actually lined us up perfectly to drive to Plainville Farms and enjoy their Sunday brunch. The turkey on the horse is a lawn ornament outside the nondescript one-story building. As you may know, you can purchase Plainville Farms deli meats that are purported to undergo the least amount of processing. Now I am generally not a fan of buffets, but this was spectacular. Mini waffles, ham sliced as you like it, crispy bacon, frittatas, scrambled eggs, blueberries, strawberries, fresh whipped cream, out-of-this-world chicken and biscuits, apple cobbler, homemade bread pudding - I had it all and more. There was a full salad bar and even pudding. I love pudding, but there is something about restaurant pudding that just really does it for me. Yes, I know it comes out of a can, but I just love it. Creamy, smooth, vanilla goodness...mmmmm - with a dollop of whipped cream, of course.

Our next stop was the historical Sodus Point lighthouse. Lake Ontario was a deep indigo, and while it was still warm a steady wind made waves and ruffled the flag on the front porch of the museum. After wandering the gardens we all piled back in the car and headed home. My cold was in full swing so I was looking forward to that destination more than I would have if I had felt better. To give me time to rest, my folks hopped in their car when we got back, and I started laundry and got ready to go back to work. Ugh. It was as rough as I thought, but I got through the day thanks to Day-Quil.

Adirondack Camping Trip

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life." -John Muir

Every minute was spectacular, but here are some highlights from this magical place. This year the Jiffy pop went off without a hitch (last year it leaked oil all over the camp stove). Cute as he was, we did not feed the chipmunk, but he sure was persistent. The wood grain is from the bottom of an uprooted tree that lies exposed to the lake winds. Isn't it gorgeous?



An excerpt from my camp log: "Each night the first thing we see in the sky is a planet. You can always tell because planets don't twinkle. B thinks it might be Saturn. Tonight is our last night and we stand with our heads upturned for what must be over an hour. The sky gains depth the later it gets and is filled with layer upon layer of celestial illumination. The lake reflects the starlight - and planetlight as well. Seeing the reality behind the daytime's pale blue facade is fascinating. I could stare all night. We make wishes on a handful of shooting stars and promise to tell if they come true."